Construction of the Eastern Green Link 1 (EGL1), a joint venture between SP Energy Networks (SPEN) and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), has begun.
The subsea electricity cabling will expand the UK grid, transporting green electricity along over 190km of cabling that will link the south-east of Scotland with the north-east of England.
Ofgem approved the £2.5 billion project last year and onshore works have begun at EGL1’s two landfall points, Torness in East Lothian and Hawthorn Pit in County Durham. Two converter stations will be built to transform the electricity from alternating to direct current.
In Torness, SPEN CEO Nicola Connelly and NGET’s president of strategic infrastructure, Carl Trowell, were joined by East Lothin’s MSP Paul McLennan to mark construction start.
They also confirmed Ofgem has approved an £8 million community benefit fund for the two landfall areas. It will open later this year and, according to the transmission owners, recognises the important contribution communities will play in hosting vital energy infrastructure and strengthening energy security.
SPEN’s Connelly said the EGL1 will play a “transformative role” in delivering the electricity network needed for the future and “deliver economic growth, jobs and a supply chain boost right across the UK but importantly also for the communities hosting this vital infrastructure”.
The electricity superhighway’s team will meet with local stakeholders and communities to help shape the funding to match their needs.
In December 2023, NGET and SPEN announced that Prysmian was selected to deliver nearly 400km of power cable needed for the 190km route between England and Scotland. GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business and METLEN Energy & Metals have been selected to supply and construct two HVDC converter stations, one at each end of the cable.
The transmission owners have already worked together on the Western Link, operational since 2017, which connects Hunterston in Scotland to Connah’s Quay in Wales.
Transporting Scottish energy south
Commenting on the construction of the EGL1 beginning, energy minister Michael Shanks said: “This new electric superhighway will help us on our way by transporting more renewable energy under the North Sea to power millions of homes and businesses, while supporting skilled jobs in our industrial heartlands and saving billpayers hundreds of millions of pounds.”
Currently, infrastructure in the UK cannot transport the abundance of wind generation from Scotland to other areas of the nation. As a result, when wind generation is high and exceeds local demand, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) instructs wind power plants to turn off—at great cost.
That operational cost can be reduced by enabling the power generated to be used further afield, in areas not close to renewable energy generation, as the EGL1 sets out to do.
Trowell of NGET said of the projects the transmission owner is delivering: “They will meet future energy demand, achieve greater energy security alongside the delivery of cleaner power, and will help to contribute to lower bills for consumers.”
