Construction has started on a subsea electricity superhighway which will help expand the grid for the future.

Eastern Green Link 1, a joint venture between SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission, will transport green electricity for two million homes along 190km of predominantly undersea cable linking the South-east of Scotland with the North-east of England.

The £2.5bn project was given the green light by Ofgem last year and onshore works are now under way with offshore construction due to start in the summer.

At the cable’s two landfall points, Torness in East Lothian and Hawthorn Pit in County Durham, two converter stations will be built to change the electricity from alternating to direct current – the most efficient way for it to travel long distances. 

Specialist boats are then used to lay the cable across the seabed and bury it throughout the route before connecting it to the grid.  

In Torness, SP Energy Networks CEO Nicola Connelly and National Grid Electricity Transmission president of strategic infrastructure, Carl Trowell, were joined by minister for housing and MSP for East Lothian, Paul McLennan, to mark construction getting under way.

They confirmed an £8m fund has been approved by Ofgem to support communities and deliver social, environmental and economic benefits where the cable meets land in East Lothian and County Durham. 

Set to open later this year, the fund recognises the important contribution communities in will play in hosting vital energy infrastructure and strengthening energy security.

Nicola Connelly, CEO of SP Energy Networks, said: “Electricity supports every part of our day-to-day lives and with demand set to double we now need the grid to match.  

“Eastern Green Link 1 will play a transformative role in delivering the modern electricity network needed for the future. 

“At the same time, it will deliver economic growth, jobs and a supply chain boost right across the UK but importantly also for the communities hosting this vital infrastructure.

“Together with our partners at National Grid Electricity Transmission we will support our local communities with projects that matter to them and deliver long term social value and direct benefits for years to come.”

In the coming weeks, the Eastern Green Link 1 project team will be meeting with local stakeholders and communities to help shape the funding to match their needs and maximise the benefits for the community and wider region before it opens for applications.

National Grid Electricity Transmission and SP Energy Networks announced in December 2023 that Prysmian has been 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.

Together, SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission already own and operate the Western Link, the world’s highest capacity subsea cable, and one of the longest, connecting Hunterston in Scotland to Connah’s Quay in Wales.

Operational since 2017, the link supported over 450 jobs during planning and development and has transmitted over 30,000GWh of electricity during its first five years of operation – enough to power all the homes in Wales for the same period.