Italian cable manufacturer Prysmian has secured a €1.9bn ($2.04bn) contract for the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) project in the UK.

EGL2 is a joint venture between SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission, the UK electricity transmission network owners.

A 525kW, 2GW HVDC subsea transmission cable will be constructed, connecting Peterhead in Scotland with Drax in England.

Prysmian will be responsible for the design, manufacture, installation, testing and commissioning of the cable system, which will feature extruded XLPE [cross-linked polyethylene] insulation.

Prysmian transmission division executive vice-president Hakan Ozmen stated: “We are very proud to have the opportunity to play our role in the development of such a strategic infrastructure for the UK, by making available our state-of-the-art cable technology.

“Once completed, the electrical superhighway cable link will unlock the rich renewable energy capacity of Scotland and significantly increase the UK’s capacity to deliver clean energy for around two million homes in the UK.”

The 436km cable system, along with new converter stations at both ends to integrate with the existing transmission network, will be the UK’s largest single electricity transmission project.

The contract follows Prysmian's selection as the exclusive preferred bidder in May 2023.

The EGL2 project is expected to become operational by 2029.

In February 2023, Prysmian also secured three major cable supply contracts totalling €5bn from German transmission system operator Amprion.

The contracts are for the BalWin1 and BalWin2 offshore grid connection systems and the DC34 underground cable project in Germany, which together account for 4,400km of ±525kV HVDC cables, 3,400km on land and 1,000km subsea.