There will be a new submarine electricity cable between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. This 250-kilometre-long ‘LionLink’ is to supply energy to around 2 million Dutch and British households from 2030 onwards. That announce minister Rob Jetten (Economic Affairs and Climate, D66) and British climate minister Grant Shapps on Monday during a summit on the North Sea in Ostend, Belgium. The new connection links a Dutch wind farm directly to the power grid.
The construction of the LionLink should further boost the integration of the North Sea area. In addition to supplying more power, the LionLink provides “more energy security and energy independence in Europe”, according to Jetten. When there is a surplus of wind energy, the cable can distribute the generated energy to other countries.
The EU and the United Kingdom together want to generate 120 gigawatts of wind energy in the North Sea by 2030. The Dutch wind farm that will be connected to the UK will generate around 2 gigawatts of energy. In 2030, a total yield of 21 gigawatts must be realized by the Netherlands. Whether more can be generated in the following decades is being investigated, but depends on the “physical space, ecological impact and demand for electricity,” the ministry writes.
The leaders of nine North Sea countries will be present at the summit in Ostend. Together they wrote an opinion piece in the magazine Politicsin which they argue for further integration of the energy systems in and around the North Sea.