Construction milestone at NeuConnect as UK and Germany set up energy and climate partnership

The first phase of UK construction has been completed for the first-ever energy link between the UK and Germany, keeping the project on track.

The construction milestone comes as NeuConnect Chair Julia Prescot joined the signing of a new UK-Germany Joint Declaration of Cooperation on Energy and Climate today, November 3, by UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Claire Coutinho and Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Change Dr. Robert Habeck

“NeuConnect is not only the single-largest Anglo-German infrastructure project but will also create an important symbolic link between both countries, so we warmly welcome the new UK-Germany bilateral cooperation on energy and climate signed by both Governments today,” said Julia Prescot, Chair of NeuConnect.

“NeuConnect demonstrates the huge opportunities for the UK and Germany to work together on energy resilience and net zero, and with the first phase of NeuConnect’s construction now completed in the UK, the delivery of this vital new energy link remains firmly on track.”

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, which will allow up to 1.4 GW of electricity to flow in either direction, began major construction in the UK this summer, with Prysmian starting horizontal directional drilling (HDD) works that will allow the subsea cables to be brought on land.

This week, Prysmian installed the last of three underground ducts with an overall length of more than 1.2 kilometers, completing the first phase of construction on schedule. The sub-contractor is Horizontal Drilling International (HDI).

The works will allow Prysmian to begin onshore and offshore cabling next year.