Image: Eastern Green Link 2
Meanwhile, the Electricity System Operator (ESO) has proposed the Celtic Sea project design to connect 4.5gigawatts (GW) of floating offshore wind.
The UK’s electricity and gas regulator, Ofgem, has approved a £3.4bn funding package for the EGL2 project, a 310-mile subsea and underground cable connecting Scotland and England.
The cable will create a 2 gigawatts (GW) high-voltage electricity link between Peterhead in Aberdeenshire and Drax in North Yorkshire.
The project, designed to support the transmission of renewable energy generated in Scotland, will include 270 miles of subsea cable beneath the North Sea and 40 miles of underground cable onshore. Two converter stations, one at each end of the cable, will be constructed to integrate the electricity into the national grid.
EGL2 is the first of 26 projects to secure funding through Ofgem’s Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework, which aims to increase grid capacity.
Ofgem’s chief executive Jonathan Brearley has stated that the ASTI process can speed up approval times for projects like EGL2 by as much as two years. The regulator identified more than £79m in savings across the EGL2 project during the ASTI process.
Aberdeenshire Council has granted final planning approval for the converter station at Peterhead, with construction expected to begin later this year near Boddam.
Construction on the EGL2 is expected to begin later this year and be completed by 2029.
Industry Minister Sarah Jones said: “To achieve our mission for clean power by 2030, we need a grid capable of transporting homegrown energy from renewable sources to power up our homes and businesses.
“These projects could support thousands of good jobs, whilst saving over a billion by upgrading the system, using the latest in offshore technology.
“It forms part of our plan to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel imports so we can protect billpayers, boost Britain’s energy independence and accelerate our path to net-zero.”
The Energy Networks Association (ENA)’s chief executive Lawrence Slade said: “This is really welcome news from Ofgem. To move us forward towards clean power will require the biggest upgrade to the grid in decades. This is a crucial part of that jigsaw.”
The new Labour-led UK Government has committed to decarbonising the power system by 2030. It is notably creating a new publicly owned renewable energy investment business, Great British Energy, which will co-invest in generation projects including community projects, using £8.3bn of public money. The aim is to leverage up to £60bn of investment from other sources.
ESO unveils design for 4.5GW floating offshore wind capacity in the Celtic sea
In related news, National Grid’s ESO has published its design proposal, Beyond 2030: Celtic Sea, for connecting up to 4.5GW of floating offshore wind capacity. This capacity is expected to provide green power for more than four million homes.
The recommended design includes up to 3GW connected to two locations in South Wales and up to 1.5GW connected to the South West of England.
Each of the three proposed offshore wind farms, known as Project Development Areas (PDAs), will have its own connection to the onshore network.
The design features one high voltage direct current (HVDC) connection to a potential new South Wales Connection Node, and two high voltage alternating current (HVAC) connections to Carmarthenshire and North Devon.
The design utilises existing transmission infrastructure and aligns with planned substation developments.
This design supports The Crown Estate’s Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5, a major initiative to develop 4.5GW of floating wind power. Independent research estimates this leasing round could create 5,300 permanent jobs and generate up to £1.4bn in economic activity.
This initiative is part of the ESO’s broader Holistic Network Design (HND) strategy, which aims to support up to 86GW of offshore wind by the 2030s. The ESO has engaged with local councils in South Wales and the South West for feedback on the design.
The next step involves working with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) to advance the design into detailed network planning.
The ESO’s director of strategic energy planning and chief engineer Julian Leslie said: “Offshore wind is vital to achieving the Government’s target for clean power by 2030, sustaining energy security and achieving net-zero by 2050, so it is a really positive development that this is the first time an offshore wind leasing round will have been launched with a recommended high-level network design in place.”
A spokesperson from the National Grid Electricity Transmission (ET) said: “We welcome the ESO’s network design which outlines preferred locations for the onshore infrastructure required to connect more offshore wind power in the Celtic Sea.
“We will continue with the development of detailed network designs for each of the locations the ESO has highlighted, utilising existing or already-proposed infrastructure where possible.
“Our plans are subject to ongoing design assessments, and we look forward to working in partnership with stakeholders and communities as they develop further.”
