The main construction phase of the first-ever energy link between the UK and Germany has commenced on the German side of the project, ten months after work had begun in the UK.
More than 80 guests from politics, business and authorities celebrated the official groundbreaking today, May 21, at the converter construction site in Wilhelmshaven-Fedderwarden for the €2.8 billion NeuConnect interconnector.
This marks the start of the main construction phase on the German side of the project, with contractors Siemens Energy and Prysmian now set to begin the actual construction of the new converter station and the cabling work.
Construction work at the UK site on the Isle of Grain began last year , with the start of foundation works on the UK converter station starting earlier this month . With construction also now underway in Germany, NeuConnect remains on track to be operational by 2028.
Guests and speakers included Julia Prescot, Chairwoman of NeuConnect, Dr. Robert Habeck, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Lower Saxony’s Economics Minister Olaf Lies, Greg Hands, British State Minister for Trade Policy, and Carsten Feist, Wilhelmshaven Mayor.
“Germany and the UK share a common goal of delivering a greener, more secure energy system for the future, so NeuConnect will make a vital contribution, uniting our Net Zero ambitions and strengthening the economic links between both countries,” Prescot said.
“As we mark a new chapter with the start of major construction, we are particularly grateful to the German and British Governments for their continued support as this vital new energy link begins to take shape.”
With some 725 kilometers of land and subsea cables, the privately financed NeuConnect will become one of the world’s largest interconnectors. The project, led by global investors Meridiam, Allianz Capital Partners, Kansai Electric Power and TEPCO, will allow up to 1.4 GW of electricity to flow in both directions – enough to power up to 1.5 million homes over its lifetime – helping to boost energy security and resilience and to integrate renewable energy sources in the UK and Germany.
It will see the construction of new converter stations on the Isle of Grain in Kent, England, and the Wilhelmshaven region in Lower Saxony, northern Germany, connected by subsea cables passing through British, Dutch and German waters.
NeuConnect is expected to deliver a net reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of over 13 million tonnes of CO2 over 25 years in Germany and the UK.