Construction has begun on NeuConnect‘s €2.8 billion (£2.3bn) energy link between the UK and Germany.
The project marks the first energy connection between the two countries, aiming to boost energy security and integrate renewable energy sources.
German Ministers Dr Robert Habeck and Olaf Lies, along with UK Minister Greg Hands, attended the ground-breaking ceremony in Wilhelmshaven, northern Germany.
NeuConnect, financed by global investors including Meridiam, Allianz Capital Partners, Kansai Electric Power and TEPCO, plans to complete the project by 2028.
New converter stations will be built in Wilhelmshaven and on the Isle of Grain in England, connected by 725 kilometres of land and subsea cables.
This “invisible energy highway” will enable up to 1.4GW of electricity to flow in either direction, enough to power up to 1.5 million homes.
The project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 13 million tonnes over 25 years.
NeuConnect’s contractors, Siemens Energy and Prysmian, are starting construction in Wilhelmshaven.
UK Minister of State for Trade Policy Greg Hands said: “Interconnectors can play a vital role in strengthening our energy security.
“NeuConnect’s £2.4 billion project will connect the UK and Germany – two of Europe’s largest energy markets – for the first time, delivering electricity for millions of homes and families across the North Sea.”
Dr Robert Habeck, German Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection said: “The energy transition will succeed if we work together in Europe.
“The first German-British interconnector will help to balance out fluctuations in the output of renewable energies, increase flexibility on the electricity markets and thus maintain system stability in both countries at the highest level.”
NeuConnect Chair Julia Prescot said: “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.”
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