Prysmian Group shall move forward and commence work later this year on the power cable interconnector between the UK and Germany after receiving notification from Neuconnect, which recently announced the project’s financial close. It is one of the first interconnectors funded through a project financing arrangement, showing that major energy infrastructure projects are attractive to financial investors.
Prysmian Group was awarded the contract in March 2022 by NeuConnect Britain Limited and NeuConnect Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG to design, manufacture, install and test a 725 km land and submarine interconnector directly linking the German and UK electricity grids for the first time.
This 1400 MW cable link will connect two of Europe’s largest energy markets, promoting the efficient use and integration of renewable energy generation resources in Germany and the UK. NeuConnect will provide major energy transmission infrastructure that will contribute to broader European goals for increased availability of economically beneficial, sustainable, and secure electrical power.
NeuConnect is a privately financed project developed by a group of international investors that includes France’s Meridiam, Germany’s Allianz Capital Partners and Japan’s Kansai Electric Power and involves a large consortium of national and international banks and financial institutions.
Prysmian’s contract is worth around €1.2 billion and will be delivered over the coming years, with the link planned to be operational by 2028. Prysmian will provide 525kV HVDC mass-impregnated cables with paper insulation, plus fibre optic cables for land and selected submarine sections, complemented with cable monitoring systems. It will also provide monitoring, maintenance, and services during the warranty period.
The 725 km route runs between the UK converter station on the Isle of Grain in Kent (UK) and through the UK, Dutch and German waters, landing in Lower Saxony in Germany and connecting to the converter station near Wilhelmshaven. Prysmian will produce the submarine and land cables at its Arco Felice factory near Naples, Italy, and install them with the Group’s cable-laying vessels Leonardo da Vinci, Cable Enterprise, and Ulisse.
Original announcement: Prysmian
Image: Courtesy of Prysmian
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