Plans for an electricity “superhighway” between Scotland and England have been granted planning permission by all relevant authorities.
The proposed Eastern Green Link 2 project has now secured all the planning consents required for all onshore and offshore elements of the project, including new converter stations and onshore and offshore cables.
The link, which will be delivered in partnership by SSEN Transmission with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), will see the creation of a 2GW subsea transmission cable from Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in Yorkshire, England.
At 436km long, it will be the UK’s longest high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable.
Sarah Sale, EGL2 deputy project director, said: “This renewable electricity superhighway is vital in supporting the UK’s transition to net zero and decarbonisation and we’re thrilled to be making such a significant contribution with the largest electricity transmission reinforcement project in the UK.”
Construction is expected to begin in 2024, with a targeted operational date of 2029.
Licensed activities are expected to commence in 2025, to achieve the targeted energisation date of 2029.
A second application has been submitted for another electricity “superhighway” from the Torness area in East Lothian to Hawthorn Pit in County Durham.
The two links are estimated to cost £3.4 billion in total, making the project the largest electricity transmission investment in Britain’s recent history.
In total, there are plans for four such connections along the east coast of Britain – each with a capacity of 2GW.