Arup, Fichtner form joint venture to oversee 1.4 GW NeuConnect interconnection project

Built environment consultancy Arup has entered a joint venture (JV) with German engineering firm Fichtner, to provide project services for the NeuConnect Interconnector which will directly link UK and German electricity grids for the first time.

The NeuConnect interconnector will link the Isle of Grain in Kent, England with the Wilhelmshaven region in Germany, with subsea cables travelling through British, Dutch and German waters, forming an ‘invisible energy highway’ allowing up to 1400 MW of electricity to move in either direction –enough to power up to 1.5 million homes.

The JV will provide project and commercial management, SHEQ and consenting oversight, as well as a technical team delivering an owner’s engineer / client representative role for the onshore and offshore elements of the project.

When completed, NeuConnect will be one of the world’s longest interconnectors and the one of the first of its kind to be funded through a project financing arrangement.

The interconnector is a privately financed project developed by a group of international investors that include Meridiam, Allianz Capital Partners and Kansai Electric Power.