National Grid and SSEN Transmission agree joint venture for UK’s largest ever electricity transmission project
Joint venture agreement important milestone in subsea electricity superhighway – Eastern Green Link 2
National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) and SSEN Transmission have taken a big step forward in the development of a new subsea electricity superhighway project along the east coast of Scotland after reaching agreement on the terms of their joint venture (JV).
The ‘Eastern Green Link 2’ (EGL2) project will see the creation of a 525kV, 2GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea transmission cable from Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in England. The UK’s single largest electricity transmission project ever.
The subsea HVDC cable system is approximately 436km in length with new converter stations at either end to connect it into the existing transmission network infrastructure. HVDC technology provides the most efficient and reliable means of transmitting large amounts of power over long distances subsea.
The EGL2 link will support the growth of new renewable electricity generation, creating jobs and delivering a pathway to net zero emissions targets, as well as helping to alleviate existing constraints on the electricity network.
Eastern Green Link 2 is part of the significant amount of new network infrastructure required for net zero and will play a critical role in supporting the UK’s future security of supply, reducing dependence and price exposure to volatile global wholesale gas markets.
After nine months of work from projects teams at SSEN Transmission and NGET, the JV shareholders’ agreement was signed by Maz Alkirwi, SSEN Transmission’s Finance Director and Carl Trowell, National Grid’s President for UK Strategic Infrastructure, at an official ceremony in London last week, allowing the joint venture to be formally established.
Carl Trowell, President of UK Strategic Infrastructure at National Grid said:
"The government ambition of 50GW of offshore wind by 2030 demands unprecedented scale and complexity of action. It's essential that we find new ways to work and unite as a sector to rise to this challenge and this joint venture with SSEN is a prime example.
“Eastern Green Link 2 is part of our Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the grid in generations. This new infrastructure will connect more clean, renewable energy from where it’s generated to where it’s needed, helping contribute to lower energy bills over the long-term and make the UK’s energy more self-sufficient.
“Congratulations to all the colleagues involved and we now look forward to working with SSEN as the project continues to develop.
Maz Alkirwi, SSEN Transmission’s Finance Director said:
“I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve signed our first Joint Venture agreement with National Grid to deliver EGL2. Connecting the North of Scotland down to Northern England and transporting renewable power to communities across the country is crucial in delivering government targets for tackling climate change.
“It’s a massive credit to the teams at SSEN Transmission and NGET for getting us to this big milestone.
“It’s an important moment in a major investment in critical national infrastructure and we’re looking forward to working with National Grid on its delivery."
Work to progress the project will now be taken forward as a formal joint venture between SSEN Transmission and NGET. Following final approval from Ofgem work is expected to commence in 2024, with a targeted operational date of 2029.
SSEN Transmission will be investing over £10bn to upgrade the network around key areas, connecting new onshore and offshore renewables generation in the north of Scotland, as part of its ‘Pathway to 2030’ programme, supporting the delivery of Scotland and the UK’s net zero targets. The programme comprises nine significant onshore and subsea projects, including EGL2.
National Grid have launched ‘The Great Grid Upgrade’, the largest overhaul of the grid in generations and a multibillion investment in new electricity transmission projects across England and Wales. The Upgrade, which will help move more clean energy from where it’s generated to where it’s needed and play a major role in the UK moving towards its net zero target, include three further subsea links between Scotland and England, and proposals in the Humber and East Anglia (including a further subsea link between Suffolk and Kent).
Find out more about this ground-breaking project by visiting the newly launched dedicated EGL2 website, Eastern Green Link 2
Contact for media information only:
Ben Davis
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