Representatives of SSEN Transmission, National Grid Electricity Transmission and key supply chain partners break ground in Peterhead on the Eastern Green Link 2 project. Credit: SSEN Transmission.

SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) have commenced work on the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2), a 2GW subsea link, which will connect Scotland and England.

The £4.3bn project features a high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea transmission cable stretching from Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in Yorkshire.

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The EGL2 subsea cable will extend 436km beneath the sea from Peterhead, making landfall on the East Yorkshire coast at Fraisthorpe Sands.

From there, it will continue underground for 68km to a new HVDC converter station at Drax.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, National Grid representatives were accompanied by colleagues from HVDC cable supplier Prysmian and teams from Hitachi Energy and BAM, who are supplying the converter stations that will anchor the project at both ends.

 The EGL2 subsea link will be operational by 2029.

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National Grid Offshore delivery director Zac Richardson stated: “Today marks an important moment for all involved in the project and the commitment of both National Grid and SSEN in delivering major projects which will play a key role in supporting the UK’s transition to a net zero economy.

The project will bolster local employment, with hundreds of jobs in Yorkshire anticipated during peak construction periods.

Ofgem Infrastructure Group director general Akshay Kaul stated: “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.”

In September 2024, SSEN Transmission finalised contracts for the construction of the 220kV subsea link between Orkney and Caithness off the coast of Scotland.