Image source: NeuConnect

The NeuConnect interconnector project has reached a significant construction milestone with the delivery of the first transformer to its UK converter station site on the Isle of Grain, Kent.

Supplied by Siemens Energy, the transformer is the first of seven units required for the UK station. It will play a key role in converting high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity so it can be integrated into the UK transmission grid. Manufactured in Nürnberg, Germany, the unit was transported via the Rhine River to Rotterdam before being shipped to the UK and delivered by road to the project site. The transformer measures approximately seven metres in length, five metres in height, and weighs more than 200 tonnes.

The £2.4bn/$3.27bn NeuConnect project will create a 725km subsea electricity link between the UK and Germany, connecting converter stations in Kent and Wilhelmshaven. Once operational, the interconnector is expected to transmit up to 1.4GW of electricity in either direction, supporting energy security and renewable integration in both markets.

Construction of the UK converter station has progressed, with structural works reaching full height on the 24-metre converter hall buildings. Cladding installation is also underway.

Offshore installation activities have resumed following a winter pause, with cabling contractor Prysmian deploying its vessel, Leonardo da Vinci, to install more than 140km of subsea cable in UK waters. The works will later extend into Dutch waters as installation progresses toward Germany.

Arnaud Grévoz, CEO of NeuConnect, said the project remains on track as major equipment deliveries and cabling operations continue.

Source: NeuConnect