EGL2 gets provisional regulatory approval
Eastern Green Link 2, an >500 km subsea connection between Scotland and Yorkshire will be the longest ever built in Great Britain.
Image for illustration purposes.
UK, Scotland: Ofgem has given provisional approval of the expenditure for the high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea superhighway, Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2), a joint venture between SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission. The 525 kV 2 GW link can carry enough electricity to power almost two million homes and will run from Peterhead in northeast Scotland to Drax, Yorkshire, on the east coast of England. At a total expected nominal investment of £4.3 billion, EGL2 is the single largest-ever investment in transmission infrastructure in the UK.
Sandy Mactaggart, Director of Offshore Delivery for SSEN Transmission, commented: “We welcome Ofgem’s provisional decision to approve all necessary expenditure for the Eastern Green Link 2 project, a critical milestone in the final stages of the regulatory approvals process. With HVDC technology set to play a leading role in the clean energy transition, the delivery of EGL2 will build on the significant expertise we have established in this cutting-edge technology following the success of our Caithness-Moray HVDC link, and the Shetland HVDC link which remains on track for energisation this summer.”
EGL2 could enable clean homegrown energy to be transported to demand centres, thus reducing reliance on imported electricity. It could significantly reduce the costs of transmission system constraints. The project will support hundreds of skilled jobs during the construction phase and thousands more across the wider economy.
SSEN Transmission’s £2 billion investment in EGL2 forms part of its Pathway to 2030 plan, set to see £20 billion invested in the north of Scotland’s transmission grid over the decade. National Grid’s investment in the project is part of the Great Grid Upgrade, the “largest grid overhaul in generations” and a multibillion investment in transmission projects across England and Wales.
The EGL2 joint venture has recently signed contracts with BAM Nuttal for all civil works, Hitachi Energy for the HVDC Convertor Station and Prysmian for the HVDC subsea and land cable. The project is set for energisation in 2029.
Source: SSEN Transmission
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