Construction is now underway on the 1400MW NeuConnect project – a vital new energy link between the UK and Germany that will connect two of Europe’s largest energy markets for the first time.
NeuConnect’s cabling contractor Prysmian is starting horizontal directional drilling (HDD) works on the Isle of Grain site in the UK.
The HDD works will allow the subsea cables to be brought on-land, and have been selected for the UK site to help minimise the impact on the surface and to the local environment.
Further inland from the HDD works in the UK, NeuConnect’s contractor Siemens Energy has now started works on attenuation ponds and the construction of a main access road that will link to the new electricity converter station.
The construction of the UK converter station will start next year.
Alongside onshore works, ‘pre-installation’ offshore survey works are now underway to prepare the route for subsea cables to be installed in future.
The first phase of subsea cable installation will start next year.
Separate to the major works now underway in the UK, the production of 725km of cabling is now well underway at Prysmian’s factory in Arco Felice, Italy and Sumitomo’s factory in Osaka, Japan.
Major construction work in Germany will start early next year.
Led by global investors Meridiam, Allianz Capital Partners, Kansai Electric Power and TEPCO, NeuConnect is expected to become one of the world’s largest interconnectors.
Some 725km of land and subsea cables will form an ‘invisible energy highway’ between the UK and Germany, allowing electricity to flow in either direction, helping to boost energy security and resilience while also helping to integrate renewable energy sources in both countries.
The new converter station on the Isle of Grain in Kent will connect with the Wilhelmshaven region in Lower Saxony, northern Germany via subsea cables travelling through British, Dutch and German waters.
NeuConnect is expected to be operational by 2028.
UK Minister for Investment, Lord Johnson said: “This £2.4bn project doesn’t just demonstrate continued global investor confidence in the UK, but also the successful work we are doing with our European neighbours to drive investment and deliver vital new infrastructure.
“The first spade in the ground is a significant milestone on a project of national importance, so I offer my congratulationsto NeuConnect and its investors.”
Miguel Berger, German Ambassador to the United Kingdom, added: “NeuConnect is a key project to support Germany and the UK in achieving their climate targets and to boost energy security. It is the largest Anglo-German infrastructure project and will enable us to share excess power – preventing renewable energy from being wasted.
“NeuConnect’s 725km power highway will be the first direct energy link between the UK and Germany.
“With construction underway in Kent, and major construction due to start early next year in Wilhelmshaven at the German end, speedy progress can be expected.”
NeuConnect reached Financial Close in July 2022 with a consortium of more than 20 national and international banks and financial institutions including the UK Infrastructure Bank, European Investment Bank (EIB), and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
Since Financial Close last year, a range of site surveys and archaeological activities have been carried out, allowing construction work to now begin in the UK.