Siemens Energy and sub-contractor Jones Bros Civil Engineering are nearing completion of the enabling works for the UK converter station of NeuConnect, the first-ever energy link between the UK and Germany.
The works have included the construction of a 50,000m2 platform for the new converter station and two attenuation ponds to support drainage.
According to NeuConnect, some 45,000m3 of on-site material has been recycled, helping minimize the amount of new material needed and reducing construction traffic on local roads.
With enabling works nearing completion, construction of the UK converter station will start in the coming months.
The news comes as this week marks the sixth anniversary since NeuConnect Britain Ltd was established to deliver the new energy link between the UK and Germany.
In Germany, enabling works at the site in Wilhelmshaven are also making good progress with major construction on track to start later this year.
“There is no time to lose in the race to net zero, so NeuConnect is not only a vital energy project for Europe but one that is being delivered at great speed. In the 6 years since we established NeuConnect Britain Ltd, we have turned a ‘line on a map’ into a fully financed scheme, with construction well underway and the first UK-German energy link starting to take shape,” said Julia Prescot , Chair of the NeuConnect Board and Partner at lead investor Meridiam.
NeuConnect runs from the Fedderwarden substation in Wilhelmshaven to the Isle of Grain substation in Kent, near London. It can transport up to 1.4 GW of electricity using two HVDC cables, planned as a sea pipeline in the North Sea and as an underground pipeline on the German land side.
Led by global investors Meridiam, Allianz Capital Partners, Kansai Electric Power and TEPCO, NeuConnect will become one of the world’s largest interconnectors with 725 kilometers of land and subsea cables connecting two of Europe’s largest energy markets for the first time.
The project was granted all key regulatory approvals at the end of 2023, following the second partial approval for the construction and operation of the converter station on the German side.