National Grid has broken ground on Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2), a £4.3 billion subsea electricity transmission project connecting Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in England.
The project, a joint venture between National Grid Electricity Transmission and SSEN Transmission, will be the UK’s longest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable and is expected to provide enough electricity to power two million homes. It first gained planning permission in August 2023.
Simultaneous ground-breaking ceremonies were held by representatives from National Grid and SSEN Transmission at both ends of the subsea link, marking the start of main construction on the 2 GW project.
EGL2 involves laying a 436 km subsea cable from Peterhead, coming ashore at Fraisthorpe Sands on the East Yorkshire coast, and then running 68 km underground to a new HVDC converter station at Drax. The project aims to unlock Scotland’s renewable energy capacity and significantly increase the UK’s ability to deliver clean energy.
At peak construction periods, the project is expected to support hundreds of local jobs in Yorkshire through supply chain and construction activities. Earlier this year, over 200 representatives from local businesses attended a buyer event, showcasing a range of skills from plant hire and catering to steel fixing and logistics.
Representatives from specialist HVDC cable supplier Prysmian, along with Hitachi Energy and BAM, responsible for supplying converter stations, joined National Grid in Yorkshire, highlighting the collaborative effort behind the project.
Commenting at the ceremony, Offshore Delivery Director for National Grid, Zac Richardson said, “Today marks an important moment for all involved in the project and the commitment of both National Grid and SSEN in delivering major projects that will play a key role in supporting the UK’s transition to a net zero economy.
“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.”
Akshay Kaul, Ofgem Director General for Infrastructure Group, added, “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.”
Construction activities have begun at Wren Hall Converter Station in Drax, including site establishment and vegetation clearance. Surveys along the underground cable route are expected to continue in the coming months, with the project scheduled to be operational in 2029.
Eastern Green Link 2 is seen as ‘vital’ to prevent wind turbines from being turned off and wasting their potential energy generation. The project is especially important given the high potential of renewable electricity generation in Scotland, which will then be able to be transported to where the majority of electricity consumption takes place – England.