Balfour Beatty has been awarded a contract to lay cables on the £4.3bn Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) electricity superhighway project.

Construction of the UK’s largest electricity transmission project started in September.

Balfour Beatty has been appointed by Prysmian to install 68km of high voltage direct current (HVDC) land cables from Fraisthorpe Sands to Drax in Yorkshire, as well as an additional 1km of HVDC land cable at Peterhead, in Scotland.

The contract forms part of the 2GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) electrical ‘superhighway’ cable link, 525kV, to be built between Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, and Drax in North Yorkshire.

The EGL2 project is being jointly developed by SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission.

Prysmian was awarded a contract worth in the region of £1.6bn by EGL2 earlier this year, to design, manufacture, install, test and commission the required HVDC cable system which includes 436km of HVDC submarine cables.

Balfour Beatty is delivering approximately 15% of the route on behalf of Prysmian, building on the company’s appointment by National Grid in June 2024, to replace and upgrade approximately 25km of new overhead lines in North Yorkshire, which will increase the capacity to connect the EGL2 project.

The cables will be installed underground, to reduce the visual impact of the scheme and ensure that the landscape across East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and at Peterhead remains unhindered for the local community and visitors alike.

The cables will connect to new converter stations located at either end of the cable, which will convert the clean, renewable wind energy that has been generated offshore and take it to homes and businesses in centres of demand across Great Britain.

Tony Wilson, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission and Distribution business said: “With a proven track record of working on complex cabling projects, this contract further demonstrates our leading role in delivering the vital infrastructure needed to reinforce the energy sector.

“Our experience and deep domain knowledge positions us perfectly to complete these latest works for the project which will power around two million homes and businesses, supporting the UK’s transition to clean energy.”

Balfour Beatty’s selection further bolsters its portfolio of nationally critical power transmission and distribution projects including the company’s recent appointment to deliver the £363m Bramford to Twinstead Reinforcement scheme.

Main works are expected to commence in early 2025, with completion scheduled for 2029.

At construction peak, the project is expected to employ 140 people including graduate and apprenticeship positions as part of Balfour Beatty’s commitment to The 5% Club.