Yorkshire to benefit from first clean energy ‘superhighway’

Work has begun on a £4.3bn five-year electricity infrastructure project which will deliver clean energy to around two million homes in the North of England.

At peak periods of construction, the project is expected to support hundreds of local jobs in Yorkshire, through supply chain and construction activity.

Ground-breaking ceremonies have been held in Scotland and England at either end of the EGL2 project, a 2GW subsea electricity link.

Once complete, it will unlock the renewable energy capacity of Scotland and increase the UK’s capacity to deliver clean energy. The project is expected to be operational in 2029.

Representatives from National Grid and SSEN Transmission removed the first spades of earth, marking the start of main construction, during events at either end of the subsea link in Peterhead in Scotland and Wren Hall in Drax, near Selby, North Yorkshire.

After travelling 436 km under the sea from Peterhead, EGL2’s subsea cable will come ashore on the East Yorkshire coast at Fraisthorpe Sands and then run underground for 68km to a new high voltage current (HVDC) converter station at Drax.

Offshore delivery director for National Grid, Zac Richardson, said: “Today marks an important moment for all involved in the project and the commitment of both National Grid and SSEN in delivering major projects which will play a key role in supporting the UK’s transition to a net zero economy.

“EGL2 is the first of four currently proposed 2GW projects between Scotland and England to begin construction and in total these projects, delivered in partnership by National Grid, could provide enough renewable electricity to power eight million homes.

“Achieving this first milestone wouldn’t have been possible without the huge commitment of the project team, our construction partners, stakeholders and the invaluable feedback from local communities.”

Akshay Kaul, Ofgem director general for Infrastructure Group, added: “Harnessing homegrown clean energy will help build a secure energy future for Britain, and projects like EGL2 are pivotal in our move towards that.

“This is the first project to successfully complete our new process and many more major energy projects are going through this fast-track pipeline.

“Our involvement with EGL2 doesn’t end here we stand poised to step in if needed to ensure maximise efficiency and consumer benefit.”