National Grid Ventures and TenneT, the grid company serving the Netherlands and parts of Germany, have announced plans for a multi-purpose interconnector that will serve offshore wind farms while it connects the UK and the Netherlands.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (DESNZ) said the ‘Lionlink’ multipurpose connection would have a 1.8GW capacity, more than four times that of its predecessor, Kassø-Frøslev (Kriegers Flag) between Germany and Denmark’s, which carries 0.4GW. It will be developed by National Grid Ventures and TenneT and be operational by the early 2030s. DESNZ said LionLink will be good both 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.
The government is announcing the innovative project between the UK and the Netherlands as Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps leads a British business delegation to the crucial North Sea Summit in Belgium today, aiming to boost collective energy security through new renewable energy and interconnector projects. The summit will see nine countries meet in Ostend to agree ambitions for building future offshore wind farms.
Ben Wilson, President National Grid Ventures, said: “Connecting wind farms to multiple markets simultaneously is a game changer for energy infrastructure and brings us one step closer to realising the enormous green energy potential of the North Sea.
“Not only can we deploy every spare electron where it is needed most, we can help to reduce the impact of infrastructure on coastal communities.
“We now need the right political, legal and regulatory framework to make it happen and establish a mutually beneficial North Sea grid to deliver a cleaner, fairer, more secure and more affordable energy future for British and European consumers.”
The countries attending today’s summit alongside the UK are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway and the Netherlands
This builds on the 8.4GW interconnector capacity that the UK has – and LionLink alone will increase that by up to a fifth, meaning more clean and affordable power for UK homes and businesses.
Manon van Beek, CEO of TenneT, said: “It is our conviction that offshore hubs configured in a meshed DC grid must form the backbone of the North Sea powerhouse. This is a view that is increasingly shared, and for us, it is more than a vision of the future.
“In fact, we are already doing it by kicking off this ground-breaking LionLink project right now. It is a first step and a great opportunity to learn as the offshore grid takes shape.”
The Energy Security Secretary is also expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Denmark today, which will ensure further collaboration on the transition from fossil fuels to renewable technologies –offshore wind, especially.
Minister Rob Jetten, Climate & Energy for the Netherlands: “With the North Sea becoming the largest supplier of green electricity for the Netherlands and large parts of Europe, we are ready to expand the interconnection between the two countries. LionLink provides close to 2GW of electricity to both countries, enough to power 2 million households.”

TenneT pushes expansion in North Sea
Last week (20 April) TenneT signed €30 billion in contracts with the Hitachi Energy/Petrofac co-operation and three consortium partnerships (GE/Sembcorp, GE/McDermott and Siemens Energy/Dragados) for offshore wind connections. It was the end of a process that has seen TenneT awarding contracts for the sea- and land-based converter stations for a total of 14 offshore grid connection systems, which was launched in August 2022.
These 14 systems are to be realised by 2031, using an innovative technology for converting alternating current into direct current and back, that will be manufactured at the consortiums’ European factories.
Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands signed the Esbjerg Declaration at the North Sea Energy Summit in May 2022, which agreed to jointly install a capacity of at least 65GW of offshore wind by 2030. TenneT will provide 40GW of grid connections, 20GW each in Germany and the Netherlands.
TenneT’s 2GW Program standardises of offshore grid connection systems, at increased transmission, so the number of new systems can be reduced compared to previous offshore grid connections.