National Grid and SSEN Transmission have broken ground on the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) subsea transmission cable that will connect Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in England.
Construction on the 525kV, 2GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) began with simultaneous ground-breaking ceremony in Scotland and England at either end of the £4.3bn project.
The transmission line will travel 436km under the sea from Peterhead before coming ashore on the East Yorkshire coast at Fraisthorpe Sands and then run underground for 68km to a new high voltage current (HVDC) converter station at Drax.
Chair of SSEN Transmission’s board Gregor Alexander said: “EGL2 will play a major role in bolstering energy security and contributing to net zero targets, but it will also generate jobs and provide a legacy to local communities here in the north-east of Scotland, where our teams are already supporting local environmental initiatives.
Once complete, it will deliver renewable energy from Scotland and increase the UK’s capacity to deliver clean energy for around two million homes.
At peak periods of construction, the project is expected to support hundreds of local jobs in Yorkshire, through supply chain and construction activity.
More than 200 representatives from local businesses attended a buyer event earlier this year, covering a diverse range of skillsets from plant hire and catering to steel fixing and logistics.
EGL2 is being delivered as a joint venture by National Grid Electricity Transmission and SSEN Transmission. The project is expected to be operational in 2029.
Offshore delivery director for National Grid Zac Richardson said: “EGL2 is the first of four currently proposed 2GW projects between Scotland and England to begin construction and in total these projects, delivered in partnership by National Grid, could provide enough renewable electricity to power eight million homes.
“Achieving this first milestone wouldn’t have been possible without the huge commitment of the project team, our construction partners, stakeholders and the invaluable feedback from local communities.”
Ofgem director general for infrastructure group Akshay Kaul said: “Today is a historic occasion. Not only is construction starting on EGL2, Britain’s biggest ever electricity transmission project, but we’re also standing here two years earlier than we might have been thanks to Ofgem’s fast track new process which cuts red tape to get consumers across the country connected to renewable energy more quickly.
“Harnessing homegrown clean energy will help build a secure energy future for Britain, and projects like EGL2 are pivotal in our move towards that. This is the first project to successfully complete our new process and many more major energy projects are going through this fast-track pipeline. Our involvement with EGL2 doesn’t end here we stand poised to step in if needed to ensure maximise efficiency and consumer benefit.”
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