The Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) project, a 505 km, 2 GW power superhighway currently under construction in the UK, will use recycled copper in its materials, according to a press release by Prysmian.

Prysmian will use about 10,000 tonnes of La Farga’s GENIUS recycled copper, with the project expecting to avoid nearly 56,675 ton of CO₂ equivalent emissions compared to the use of conventional primary copper.

The approach is estimated to deliver a 13% reduction in the overall carbon footprint of Prysmian’s scope of activities within the project, making a tangible contribution to emissions reduction in large-scale energy infrastructure.

EGL2 is a joint venture project being delivered by National Grid Electricity Transmission and SSEN Transmission. The project includes a 436 km HVDC subsea cable in the UK, providing enough green electricity to power around two million homes, reducing constraints on renewable generation in the north of Scotland, upon completion.

The project will support jobs during the construction phase and across the wider economy, including through supply chain activity. EGL2 is expected to be fully energized and operational in 2029.

While Prysmian will manufacture and install the cable, Hitachi Energy and BAM will supply convertor stations at either end of the link. Ofgem has also confirmed its final approval on the costs associated with delivery of project.

According to Prysmian, due to the high demand for electricity infrastructure projects, as the world electrifies to deliver on climate action, copper is currently one of the most critical materials across the globe.

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) guarantees that the 10,000 tons of recycled copper are entirely contained within the rod supplied to Prysmian, unlike a mass balance approach, where it cannot be certified. Purchasing the recycled copper has been enabled by the Sustainability Innovation Fund (SIF), awarded to the EGL2 project by Ofgem.