Power cable to bring renewable energy from Scotland to England

Contracts worth £1.8bn have been awarded to build the UK’s first high-capacity subsea power cable that will be able to transmit renewable power from Scotland to England.

Eastern Green Link 1 (EGL1) is a joint venture between National Grid and SP Energy Networks that will see the creation of a 190km subsea transmission cable from Torness in East Lothian, Scotland to Hawthorn Pit in County Durham, England,

This will enable the transmission of renewable green energy to power more than two million homes. EGL1 is one of the UK’s largest grid upgrade projects and work is scheduled to begin in 2025.

Of the contracts, the Prysmian Group has been selected to deliver nearly 400km of power cable along the 190km route, and GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business and MYTILINEOS Energy & Metals will build the converter stations at either end of the cable.

The Guardian, sharing research by the International Energy Agency, recently revealed that Britain would need to roll out more than 100km of electric cabling every day until 2040, if the government hoped achieve its climate goals.

EGL1’s Project Director Peter Roper said: “EGL1 is a transformative project for the UK, enhancing security of supply and helping to connect and transport green power for all customers.

These contract announcements are big wins for the supply chain and another important milestone as we build the new network infrastructure to help the UK meet its net zero and energy security ambitions. We look forward to working in collaboration with Prysmian, GE Vernova and MYTILINEOS as the project continues to progress.”