Italian cabling giant Prysmian has been confirmed as the supplier of the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable system for the fourth out of five subsea electricity superhighways between Scotland and England.
Prysmian has won a £2 billion (over €2.3 billion) contract with SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) for the Eastern Green Link 4 (EGL4) project, following the preferred bidder status from a couple of months ago.
The Italian firm will manufacture and deliver 530 kilometers of subsea HVDC cable and over 116 kilometers of underground cable for the 2 GW electricity link, which will connect Fife in Scotland and Norfolk in England.
Planning applications for EGL4 are expected in Scotland and in England this year. Subject to approval by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, construction is currently expected to start in 2029, with the link operational in 2033.
Once completed, the interconnector will be capable of transporting enough green electricity to power over 1.5 million homes, increasing Britain’s capacity to move power around the country, reducing constraints, increasing energy security and enabling more clean power to connect to the grid.
Siemens Energy has been appointed as the preferred bidder for the delivery of two HVDC converter stations for EGL4.
“Eastern Green Link 4 is a critical part of the significant reinforcement needed along the east coast to support Britain’s future energy system. By investing in high-capacity HVDC infrastructure, we can move large volumes of clean electricity efficiently and at scale,” said Project Director for National Grid, James Goode .
“Appointing Prysmian as cable supplier builds on their established experience with National Grid working on major transmission projects. It supports our focus on delivering this important connection to support home-grown, cleaner, secure energy from more affordable sources to consumers for decades to come.”
Prysmian is also supplying the cable for the 2 GW EGL1 , which started construction last year and will connect Torness in Scotland and Hawthorn Pit in England.