A new interconnector between the UK and Germany will deliver significant carbon benefits, an independent new report has shown.
The FTI CL Consulting analysis found that the NeuConnect link would help deliver a 16 million tonne reduction in CO2 over 25 years – the equivalent of planting 28 million new trees or removing 400,000 cars off the road in a year.
The privately-financed £1.4bn interconnector is expected to create the first direct link between UK and German electricity networks, connecting two of Europe’s largest energy markets for the first time.
Over 700km of subsea cables will form an ‘invisible highway’ to allow 1.4GW of electricity to flow in either direction, helping to deliver a more resilient and sustainable supply in the UK and Germany.
The UK and Germany have set ambitious targets for ‘Net Zero’ carbon emissions by 2050, and the UK Government’s recent Energy White Paper included analysis that underlined the role interconnectors can play in decarbonisation targets.
With NeuConnect, the UK will be able to tap into significant renewable energy sources in northern Germany.
In the German market – where wind turbines are frequently powered-down due to excess energy being created – the link will help reduce “bottlenecks” and curtailments by opening up an important new market for surplus renewable energy to be exported to.
NeuConnect is being developed by an international consortium led by Meridiam together with Allianz Capital Partners on behalf of Allianz Group and Kansai Electric Power, with the project also supported by Greenage Power and Frontier Power.