Eastern HVDC
Eastern HVDC and Eastern HVDC projects are the names used by Ofgem for two planned HVDC submarine power cables from the East coast of Scotland to Northeast England to strengthen the National Grid. The two links combined will deliver 4 GW of renewable energy from Scottish wind farms to England.
Ofgem state that "At an estimated cost of £3.4 billion for the two links, the Eastern HVDC projects would be the largest electricity transmission investment project in the recent history of Great Britain."[1]
Eastern HVDC projects[edit]
In July 2022, Ofgem published its conditional decision on the Final needs case for the Eastern HVDC project, confirming its choice of two separate HVDC links, each rated at 2 GW.[1]
- Scotland-England Green Link 1 (SEGL1) will run from Torness in Southeast Scotland to Hawthorn Pit substation in county Durham
- Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) is will run from Peterhead, near Aberdeen, to Drax in Yorkshire
Ofgem approved the schemes as part of its Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment Framework.[2]
Scotland-England Green Link 1 (SEGL1)[edit]
Current status[edit]
In December 2022, the connection received approval from the UK energy regulator Ofgem.[2] [3] As of July 2021, construction was expected to start in 2023, with the construction phase complete in 2027.[4]
Route[edit]
SEGL1 will run from Torness in Southeast Scotland to Hawthorn Pit substation in Northeast England.[5] Landfall in England will be to the North of Seaham, on the Durham Coast.[4]
Technical specification[edit]
The cable will carry 2 GW.[3] The DC voltage will be +/-525 kV, using voltage source converter (VSC) technology, carried on cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables, with a fall back option of mass impregnated (MI) cables.[1]
Economic case[edit]
The investment required is £1.294 billion.[1]
Project partners[edit]
SEGL1 is being developed by Scottish Power Transmission plc (SPT) and National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (National Grid).[5]
Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2)[edit]
Current status[edit]
Contracts to construct the cable were finalised in February 2024, and work is scheduled to commence after final approvals from OfGEM.[6][7]
EGL2 Project History[edit]
In December 2022, the connection received approval from the UK energy regulator Ofgem.[2]
In December 2022, the project was in the "early development" stage.[5]
In December 2022, early enabing works were expected in 2024, with the main construction phase starting in 2025. Target date for energisation was 2029.[3]
Route[edit]
The cable will run from Sandford Bay, at Peterhead in Scotland, to the Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, England. The northern converter station will be next to the existing power station at Peterhead. [3][5] The subsea portion of the cable will be approximately 440 km (270 mi) long, from the Aberdeenshire coast to the East Riding of Yorkshire.[8]
Technical specification[edit]
The cable will carry 2 GW.[3] The DC voltage will be +/-525 kV, using Voltage Source converter (VSC) technology, carried on Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables, with a fall back option of mass impregnated (MI) cables.[1]
Economic case[edit]
The investment required is £2.1 billion. It is needed to reinforce the National Grid, to "alleviate existing and future constraints on the electricity transmission network", and support new renewable electricity generation.[3]
Project partners[edit]
EGL2 is a joint venture between SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET).[3]
The main contractors are Prysmian, Hitachi Energy, and BAM.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "Eastern HVDC – Conditional Decision on the projects' Final Needs Case". Ofgem. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "New subsea cables 'could help ease energy crisis'". BBC News: Highlands and Islands. BBC. 15 Dec 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Green Links All Go!". SSEN News and Views. SSEN. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Scotland to England Green Link - SEGL1". National Grid. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Eastern Green Link 2". SSEN Projects. SSEN. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ a b Dimitris Mavrokefalidis (1 March 2024). "UK's largest subsea cable deal sealed". Energy Live News. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "EGL2 gets provisional regulatory approval". transformers-magazine.com. March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Eastern HVDC Link" (PDF). SSEN. October 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2022.