Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission has confirmed that a Marine Licence has been provided for a 2GW “East Coast Subsea Electricity Superhighway”.
The Eastern Green Link 2 project, which is to be delivered via a partnership between SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), will see the creation of a 2GW subsea transmission cable that will link Peterhead in Scotland to Drax, Yorkshire.
Current± previously reported that the 2GW link is expected to be energised in 2029 and cost around £2.1 billion.
The aim of the project is to help alleviate constraints on the GB transmission system. This will enable further renewables to be rolled out, support hundreds of green jobs, aid a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and help support the transition to net zero.
With the project now having received a Marine Licence, the “Electricity Superhighway” is now one step closer to fruition.
The licence approval applies to the 150km stretch of cable that sits within Scottish water. This provides permission to install infrastructure within a 500m-wide defined corridor of the seabed from where the proposed cable makes landfall at Peterhead, to the Scottish-English maritime border.
High-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology will be used to provide efficient and reliable means of transmitting large amounts of power over long distances. This has seen the technology explored as part of a 3.6GW UK-Morocco megaproject dubbed Xlinks.
“We’re delighted to have been granted a marine licence for the Scottish section of Eastern Green Link 2, which marks a major milestone for the project,” said Ricky Saez, Eastern Green Link 2 project director.
“We believe our marine licence submission achieved the best possible balance between environmental considerations and the need for the project, and our plans ensure that we’re doing everything we can to limit our impact on the surrounding sensitivities in the subsea environment.
“We’re now looking forward to working with the supply chain to conclude our tender event, and secure equipment capacity, before progressing our project assessment to determination with Ofgem later this year.”
