Climate and Energy Minister Rob Gitten and his British colleague Grant Shapps will announce this at the North Sea Summit in Ostend, Belgium, on Monday afternoon.
The new DC cable is being developed by national grid operator TenneT and Britain’s National Grid. “The North Sea will become the largest supplier of green electricity to the Netherlands and large parts of Europe,” says Minister Gitten. “Close offshore wind cooperation and connectivity between North Sea countries is essential.”
According to the minister, LionLink can provide nearly 2 gigawatts of electricity to both countries, enough to power two million households. The new connection also aims to reduce carbon dioxide2Reducing emissions increases Europe’s energy independence and increases security of supply.
Lack of energy
“For example, if there is a surplus of wind energy, it can be immediately shared with countries that have energy shortages, and vice versa,” says Jetten. Connecting offshore wind farms via the first cross-border direct current cable of this size is a new step towards creating an integrated network in the North Sea.
The Netherlands will have generated approximately 21 GW of offshore wind power by 2030, and is examining whether 50 GW in 2040 and 72 GW in 2050 is feasible, also taking into account physical space and environmental impact.
