A POWER grid project transporting renewable energy from Scotland to the north of England has been awarded contracts worth £1.8 billion.
The Eastern Green Link 1 (EGL1) project will see the construction of a £2.5bn high-voltage power line along the east coast from East Lothian to County Durham.
Work on the project is due to commence in 2025 and is set to be one of the UK’s largest grid upgrades in decades.
International cable manufacturing company Prysmian Group has now been awarded the contract to deliver nearly 400km of power cable.
Meanwhile, GE Vernova and Mytilineos were contracted to supply two converter stations – one at each end of the cable.
In total, 176km of subsea cables will be installed from just south of Thorntonloch beach in East Lothian through Scottish and English waters to just north of the town of Seaham in County Durham.
Once completed they will be able to transport 2GW of renewable energy created in Scotland largely from offshore wind to consumers in the rest of the UK.
It is enough energy to power two million homes.
EGL1’s project director Peter Roper said: “EGL1 is a transformative project for the UK, enhancing security of supply and helping to connect and transport green power for all customers.
"These contract announcements are big wins for the supply chain and another important milestone as we build the new network infrastructure to help the UK meet its net zero and energy security ambitions.
"We look forward to working in collaboration with Prysmian, GE Vernova and Mytilineos as the project continues to progress.”
According to National Grid, who are running the project in conjunction with Scottish Power, necessary upgrades to the UK’s energy grid will cost billions of pounds.
They warn that five times as many pylons need to be constructed by the end of the decade than have been built in the past 30 years if climate targets are to be met on time.
