The UK government has announced a new LionLink power line between UK and Netherlands, which will be built under the North Sea, will deliver enough electricity to power 1.8 million homes, more than Manchester and Birmingham combined. The link will carry 1.8 GW of electricity as compared to Germany and Denmark’s Kasso-Froslev (Kriegers Flag) link carrying 0.4 GW of electricity.
The new link will be developed by National Grid Ventures and TenneT and begin operations by early 2030. The multipurpose LionLink will join the UK and Netherlands to each other as well as with offshore wind farms of the North Sea.
The project supports the UK’s 8.4 GW interconnector capacity and LionLink alone will increase it by up to a fifth and offer more clean and affordable power for UK homes and businesses.
LionLink will be favorable for the UK’s coastal communities and the environment by reducing the need for further onshore construction and visible infrastructure, as well as lessening the impact on the North Sea’s wildlife.
Britain’s innovation, knowledge and skills within the North Sea energy sector is expected to bring $25 billion a year of investment to the UK’s coastal regions and create 40,000 green jobs to Britain.
The project was declared as Energy Security Secretary, Grant Shapps accompanied a British business delegation to the North Sea Summit in Belgium to enhance collective energy security through new renewable energy and interconnector projects.
At the summit, the Energy Security Secretary is not only expected to sign an agreement with Denmark to boost trade in cheaper, cleaner energy but also a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Denmark to ensure further collaboration on the transition from fossil fuels to renewable technologies, especially offshore wind.
