The UK National Grid has completed the award of its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) civil works supply chain framework, with £12 billion (around €13.9 billion) worth of agreements confirmed, marking the third and final stage of its £59 billion supply chain framework awards.
The HVDC supply chain framework was launched in 2023, aiming to establish long-term strategic, contractual relationships and secure the critical equipment needed for current and future projects and to support the delivery of the energy infrastructure needed for the Great Grid Upgrade.
In this final round, a total of six HVDC converter civil works suppliers have been awarded positions on Lot 1 of the framework agreement, totalling approximately £9.07 billion, and three HVDC onshore cable civil works suppliers on Lot 2, worth an estimated £3.7 billion.
The selected HVDC converter civils suppliers are Balfour Beatty, BAM Nuttall, Galliford Try, Laing O’Rourke, Skanska and Taylor Woodrow, while the HVDC onshore cable civils framework has been awarded to Balfour Beatty, Murphy, and VolkerFitzpatrick.
The contracts cover a period of five years, with the potential to extend for a further three. Both frameworks are for confirmed projects, including Eastern Green Link 4 (EGL4) , in partnership with SP Energy Networks, and LionLink , in partnership with TenneT.
The National Grid recently announced preferred bidders for Sea Link and EGL4 through its HVDC converter framework.
The first tender under the new HVDC civils framework will shortly be underway for the shared southern works required for Eastern Green Link 3 (EGL3) and EGL4.
“This marks a major step forward in delivering the UK’s future energy network. This investment not only underpins the transition to a more secure, independent and low-carbon energy future, but will also support tens of thousands of UK jobs, boost regional supply chains and strengthen our construction and engineering sectors,” said Zac Richardson , Chief Engineer and Offshore Delivery Director of Strategic Infrastructure at National Grid.
“By building strategic, long-term partnerships with leading UK-based contractors, we’re ensuring the UK is ready to meet the growing demand for electricity with a resilient and modern network.”