Prysmian hires NextGeo for bomb hunt at first UK-Germany energy link

Italian cabling giant Prysmian Group has awarded compatriot Next Geosolutions (NextGeo) with a contract for potential unexploded ordnance (pUXO) identification and clearance along the route of NeuConnect, a high-voltage submarine cable that will create the first direct energy transmission link between the UK and Germany.

The contract covers the execution of pUXO identification and clearance activities in German waters, within Germany’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and in Dutch waters along the route of the NeuConnect Interconnector.

NextGeo said that the €10 million contract is for the identification phase only, with the value excluding variable and/or optional components and any clearance work.

The operations will target approximately 130 pUXO anomalies, i.e., magnetic disturbances detected along the cable route, which may correspond to unexploded ordnance.

Project execution is scheduled between Q2 and Q3 2025 and will involve two vessels, one dedicated to offshore operations and the other to nearshore activities.

Should any potential UXO be positively identified, further investigation may be required to assess its nature and determine any additional intervention, NextGeo said.

Giovanni Ranieri, CEO of Next Geosolutions, said: “The UXO survey segment is a strategic one, in which NextGeo has developed solid experience. This award strengthens our presence in the European market and confirms our ability to deliver reliable data in support of complex offshore installations and operations carried out in particularly sensitive environments.”

With converter stations on the Isle of Grain in Kent and Wilhelmshaven in northern Germany, the 725-kilometer land and subsea cable system is said to create an “invisible energy highway” capable of transferring 1.4 GW of electricity, enough to power 1.5 million homes, in either direction. 

Construction work at the UK site on the Isle of Grain began in the summer of 2023, with construction in Germany following in May 2024. It was reported in November 2024 that Prysmian had completed the interconnector’s first phase of cabling works in the UK waters.

NeuConnect is expected to be operational by 2028.

Prysmian also recently awarded NextGeo with two contracts valued at approximately €41 million for work on the Eastern Green Links in the North Sea.