Federal Minister Habeck attends start of construction work for first powerline directly connecting Germany and the UK
The construction work on the German side for “NeuConnect”, the first powerline directly connecting the UK and Germany, starts today at Wilhelmshaven. Together with Minister of State for Trade Policy Gregory Hands, Minister of Economic Affairs of Lower Saxony Olaf Lies, Mayor of Wilhelmshaven Carsten Feist and representatives of the companies involved, Federal Minister Habeck is attending the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony.
Federal Minister Robert Habeck said: “Climate-neutral electricity systems must be flexible. Therefore we are not only expanding the electricity grids in Germany, but also building powerlines connecting us to our neighbours. The construction of this powerline is one of numerous components of decarbonisation and offers the highest possible level of security of supply, also across borders. Both elements must go hand in hand. The close cooperation between Germany and the UK in this field paves the way for further cooperation projects.”
NeuConnect, which will be around 720 kilometres long, will connect the transmission grids of Germany and the UK. The powerline will link the planned converter station of Isle of Grain in Kent and the converter station of Fedderwarden in Wilhelmshaven. It will cross the territories of the UK, the Netherlands and Germany.
The German part of the powerline will be 193 kilometres long. The powerline is planned to consist of submarine cables in the North Sea and underground cables on the German mainland.
Direct trade in electricity between Germany and the UK via Neuconnect will contribute to security of supply in both countries. The pipeline’s capacity of 1.4 gigawatts can ensure the supply of electricity for up to 1.5 million households. The powerline is scheduled to be taken into operation in 2028.
Germany and the UK both aim to attain climate neutrality by the middle of the century. In a joint declaration of intent of 3 November 2023, they confirmed their wish to work more closely together to guarantee secure, clean and affordable energy for customers in the two countries. The UK has considerable potential for the generation of wind energy and intends to expand its installed capacity to 50 gigawatts by 2030. This means that green electricity will in the future be transmitted to Germany via NeuConnect.
The investment costs will be borne by an international consortium.
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