NeuConnect – a vital new energy link between the UK and Germany – this week signed a licence agreement with The Crown Estate, marking another key milestone in the project and an important step that will allow major construction work in the UK to begin this summer.

Led by global investors Meridiam, Allianz Capital Partners, Kansai Electric Power and TEPCO, the £2.4bn NeuConnect project will become one of the world’s largest interconnectors. Some 725km of land and subsea cables will form an ‘invisible energy highway’ between the UK and Germany, allowing up to 1.4GW of electricity to flow in either direction, helping to boost energy security and resilience while also helping to integrate renewable energy sources in both countries.

NeuConnect will construct new converter stations on the Isle of Grain in Kent, England and the Wilhelmshaven region in northern Germany, connected by subsea cables travelling through British, Dutch and German waters. After detailed negotiation and collaboration with The Crown Estate, a licence agreement has now been signed that will officially allow NeuConnect to begin offshore and seabed works in the UK.

With the licence now in place, the project is due to start major construction work both onshore and offshore at the Isle of Grain site in the UK in the coming weeks, with major construction in Germany starting early next year. NeuConnect is expected to be operational by 2028.

NeuConnect CEO Arnaud Grévoz said:

“The signing of the licence agreement with The Crown Estate is another important milestone for NeuConnect and the final piece of the jigsaw in the UK as we get ready to start major construction this summer. We are grateful for the support and collaboration with The Crown Estate as we secure this agreement, and look forward to working closely with them as we deliver this vital new energy link.”