Author: PPD Team Date: 17/02/2025
Iberdrola announced that construction of the Eastern Green Link 1, a subsea electricity superhighway, has officially started.
The £2.5 billion project is a joint venture between SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission. It will transport renewable energy to power two million homes through over 190 km of undersea cables connecting Scotland and England.
The project, approved by Ofgem last year, has now begun onshore construction, with offshore works scheduled to start in the summer. At the cable’s two landfall points in Torness, East Lothian, and Hawthorn Pit, County Durham, two converter stations will be built to convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), the most efficient method for long-distance transmission. Specialist boats will lay the cable across the seabed, which will then be connected to the grid.
Additionally, an £8 million fund has been approved by Ofgem to support local communities in East Lothian and County Durham. The fund will deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits to the areas hosting the critical energy infrastructure.
The Eastern Green Link 1 project, expected to be completed by 2027, will be a major contributor to the UK’s clean energy transition, using advanced subsea technology to transport renewable energy across the North Sea. It forms part of the nation’s broader energy infrastructure upgrade, contributing to lower energy bills and job creation across the UK.
National Grid and SP Energy Networks also announced the selection of Prysmian to deliver nearly 400 km of power cable for the project, with GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions and METLEN Energy & Metals responsible for the construction of the HVDC converter stations.