Construction has started on a subsea electricity superhighway that will help expand the UK grid. It should also support long-term local development for regional communities that are hosting the critical electricity infrastructure.
Eastern Green Link 1, EGL1, a joint venture between SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission, will allow the transport 2 GW of green electricity on 190 km of predominantly undersea cable linking the south-east of Scotland with the north-east of England.
The £2.5 bn project was given the go ahead by Ofgem last year and onshore works are now underway with offshore construction due to start in the summer. At the cable’s two landfall points, Torness, in East Lothian, Scotland, and Hawthorn Pit, in County Durham, NE England, two HVDC converter stations will be built. Specialist vessels will then lay the cable across the seabed and bury it throughout the route before connecting it to the grid.
An £8m fund has been approved by Ofgem to support communities and deliver social, environmental and economic benefits where the cable ends meets land
“This new electric superhighway will help us on our way by transporting more renewable energy under the North Sea to power millions of homes and businesses, while supporting skilled jobs in our industrial heartlands and saving bill–payers hundreds of millions of pounds” said Energy minister Michael Shanks.
In the coming weeks, the EGL1 project team will be meeting with local stakeholders and communities to help shape the funding to match their needs and maximise the benefits for the community and wider region before it opens for applications.
National Grid Electricity Transmission and SP Energy Networks announced in December 2023 that Prysmian has been selected to deliver the nearly 400km of power cable needed for the 190km route between England and Scotland. GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business and METLEN Energy & Metals have been selected to supply and construct two HVDC converter stations, one at each end of the cable.
SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission already own and operate the Western Link, the world’s highest capacity subsea cable, and one of the longest, connecting Hunterston in Scotland to Connah’s Quay in Wales. It became operational in 2017.
