UK Eastern Green Link 3 Transmission Project Signs Contracts

Project partners building the Eastern Green Link 3, a high voltage subsea transmission cable that will transmit clean energy from northern Scotland to England, signed supply contracts today.

Hitachi Energy will supply the EGL3, which will be one of the UK’s largest transmission projects to date. The multinational company will supply the high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and West Norfolk, England. NKT will deliver the subsea and underground cable that will link the converter stations, according to a press release from National Grid.

These contracts total more than $4 billion, and will fund the nearly 430-mile high voltage transmission line, including about 360 miles of offshore line between Scotland and England.

Once operational, EGL3 will play a central role in reducing constraint costs, according to a press release from project partners. Constraint costs are the payments made when wind farms are asked to turn down generation due to limited grid capacity.

With renewable generation strongest offshore and along the east coast and in Scotland, EGL3 will help remove transmission bottlenecks so that cleaner, homegrown electricity can flow to where it is needed. By increasing transmission capacity between Scotland and England, the project will strengthen the UK’s energy security and support more affordable energy bills.

Hitachi Energy and NKT are both strategic partners for National Grid Electricity Transmission and SSEN Transmission across their wider portfolios, supporting efforts to secure global supply chains, drive innovation, and maximize the economic value of major grid investments for the UK, according to the press release.