News item | 24-04-2023 | 07:00
Minister Rob Jetten and his British colleague announced during the North Sea Summit in Ostend Grant Shapps announced the arrival of a new electricity connection between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom this afternoon. Unique to this new connection is that a Dutch wind farm will also be directly connected to it.
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This interconnection, ‘Lion Link’ baptized, will be about 250 km long and is intended to reduce CO2emissions, interconnection with other countries and security of supply. Connecting offshore wind farms via the first cross-border direct current cable of this size is a new step towards an integrated offshore network in the North Sea.
Minister Rob Jetten: “The North Sea will become the largest supplier of green electricity for the Netherlands and large parts of Europe. Close cooperation in offshore wind energy and interconnections between North Sea countries are essential in this respect. LionLink can supply nearly 2 gigawatts of electricity to both countries, enough to power 2 million homes. This new connection also ensures greater energy security and energy independence in Europe. For example, if there is a surplus of wind energy, it can immediately be shared with countries with a power shortage, and vice versa.”
Lion Link is a multifunctional connection designed to connect a 2 GW Dutch offshore wind farm with both countries under the sea. With this connection, more efficient use can be made of the infrastructure. At the same time, the impact on coastal municipalities is reduced because fewer separate connections and a more limited infrastructure are required.
Manon van Beek, CEO TenneT: “We are convinced that we have to offshore hubs configured in a meshed DC grid form the backbone of Powerhouse North Sea. This idea is gaining more and more support and for us it is more than a vision for the future. In fact, we are already on it by launching this groundbreaking Lion Linkproject. It’s a first step and a great opportunity to gain experience as it progresses offshorenetwork takes shape.”
The EU and the UK have a joint target for offshore wind energy of approximately 120 GW in 2030 in the North Sea. Offshore wind farms therefore make an important contribution to energy security and climate goals. By 2030, the Netherlands will have realized approximately 21 GW of offshore wind energy and is investigating whether 50 GW in 2040 and 72 GW in 2050 are feasible given the physical space, ecological impact and demand for electricity. The United Kingdom aims to produce up to 50 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.