Energy: Great Britain and Germany get first direct electricity connection
On the German side, construction work has begun on a 720 km long electricity connection with a capacity of 1.4 GW.
Reduction of magnetic field emission due to the canceling effect of two bundled cables with opposite polarity.
(Image: Pedro Cavaleiro / NeuConnect Interconnector)
The "NeuConnect" project will give Germany its first direct electricity connection in 2028. Construction began on the British side in July 2023, and now the main construction work is starting on the German side in Wilhelmshaven. Construction work on an access road to the new converter station in Wilhelmshaven had already begun.
(Image: NeuConnect Interconnector)
NeuConnect will link the German and UK transmission grids over a length of around 720 km. The electricity connection will have a capacity of 1.4 GW in both directions and will run from the planned Isle of Grain substation in the county of Kent to the Fedderwarden substation in Wilhelmshaven. In addition to British and German territory, it will also cross Dutch territory.
German-British energy cooperation
On the German side, the line is 193 km long. It is planned as an undersea cable in the North Sea and as an underground cable on the German land side. From 2028, the line will supply up to 1.5 million households with electricity. The main contract partners are the Prysmian Group, which is carrying out the horizontal drilling and manufacturing the cables, among other things, and Siemens Energy. The project is estimated to cost 2.8 billion euros.
"The climate-neutral electricity system needs flexibility," said Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck in Wilhelmshaven. "That is why we are not only expanding the electricity grids in Germany, but also providing power lines to our neighbors." Decarbonization and cross-border security of supply go hand in hand. The German-British cooperation in this area is a good omen for further cooperation projects.
In November 2023, Germany and the UK declared their joint intention to intensify cooperation in the energy sector. In addition to the NeuConnect project, this also includes generating substantial "green" electricity and hydrogen imports from wind farms in the North Sea via hybrid interconnectors in the future.
(anw)
