Ofgem approves electric ‘superhighway’ between England and Scotland

Louise Frohlich
Written By
Maximilian Schwerdtfeger
Reviewed By
Updated on 20 August 2024
  • The Eastern Green Link 1 is a two gigawatt superhighway
  • The cables will run for 315 miles and allow for bi-directional electricity transfer
  • The project is estimated to cost £4.3bn and will help cut energy bills
Laying cable for EGL 1

The EGL 1 will begin transferring electricity by the end of 2029 – credit EGL 1

Ofgem has approved the building of a new subsea cable that will transport renewable electricity between England and Scotland, potentially bringing down electricity bills and helping to make the UK energy independent. 

Developed by SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission, Eastern Green Link 1 (EGL1) will carry enough renewable electricity to power two million homes with the eventual capacity capable of powering 7.5 million.

 The £4.3bn 2 gigawatt project is part of a strategy to modernise and increase capacity on the energy transmission network as the UK aims to make fossil fuels a thing of the past. It marks the first of four subsea electricity links planned along the east coast.

Also known as an electric ‘superhighway’, it will consist of two cables, which will run 315 miles, or 507 km, from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Drax in North Yorkshire. It will work in partnership with a similar link on the west coast.

According to SSEN Transmission, the energy transfer project is vital for moving electricity around the grid when wind levels are low and electricity demand is high. It guarantees that energy is delivered without reliance on nature.

Offshore construction for cable laying is due to start in 2025, with electricity transmissions possible by the end of 2029. The UK and Scottish Governments have the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 in Scotland and 2050 in the UK, with EGL 1 paving the way to do so. 

Claire Mack, chief executive, Scottish Renewables, said: “In the same way that we’ve exported

[oil]

from the North Sea for the past four decades and beyond, the same thing is the case with renewables.”

A new converter station is being built near Peterhead power station, where the high voltage direct current cables will start on the seabed. They will continue under water until Bridlington in East Yorkshire, where they will be buried underground and connected to the national grid.

Sepi Golzari-Munro, energy and climate commentator and strategist, said: “We’re obviously trying to have cleaner electricity from renewable sources but what this also does, crucially, is improve our energy security and will ultimately bring down bills.”

EGL 2 will connect Torness in East Lothian with Seaham in County Durham. Following the two initial projects, connections between Peterhead and Lincolnshire and between Kinghorn in Fife and Norfolk will take place.

The Eastern Green Links will work alongside the Western Green Link which runs between Hunterston in Ayrshire and the Flintshire Bridge.

The 240 mile Western Green Link was opened in 2017 and transmitted over 23,000 GWh of green energy within the first five years of opening. 

Project director Ricky Saez describes Ofgem’s decision to give the superhighway the go-ahead as a “major milestone”.

Scotland is a net-exporter of electricity so despite the cables being bi-directional, the majority of electricity will come from north of the border in Scotland.

Written by

Louise Frohlich

Louise joined The Eco Experts as Editorial Assistant in April 2004. She is a talented artist who has a keen interest in solutions that lead to a more environmentally-friendly future.

Louise graduated from the University of Winchester in 2022 and went on to write for The Eco Experts sister site, Expert Reviews. She has taken part in charity expeditions to Ecuador and Uganda to help build water pipes, promote environmental cleanup initiatives and implement sustainable farming techniques. She now uses her knowledge to help readers make more eco-friendly choices.

Alongside her passion for the environment she enjoys theatre, portraiture and Egyptology.

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Reviewed By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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