- Eastern Green Link 2’s developers have reported substantial civil engineering progress after two years of construction.
- The 2 GW connection is intended to strengthen electricity transfers between Scotland and England, with commissioning targeted for 2029.
- The next delivery challenge is coordinating converter equipment, cable installation and commissioning across the full route.
Construction of Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) has advanced at both converter stations and along its Yorkshire cable route, the developers said on Friday, as the £4.3 billion transmission project marks two years of building work.
The joint venture between National Grid Electricity Transmission and SSEN Transmission will connect Peterhead in Aberdeenshire with Drax in North Yorkshire through a 505 km high-voltage direct current link. Its 2 GW capacity is intended to strengthen the network’s ability to move electricity between Scotland and England.
The first converter building’s steel frame and the first alternating-current hall have been completed at Peterhead. Permanent structures are also taking shape at Wren Hall near Drax. In Yorkshire, contractors have installed more than 25 km of haul road and completed more than 8 km of trenching.
The announcement demonstrates progress on the existing project and does not mark a new investment decision or suggest that the connection is ready to transmit power.
Indeed, project director Fionán Doonan acknowledged the remaining workload, saying “we also know there is a huge amount still to do”.
Electrical system delivery
EGL2 combines roughly 436 km of subsea cable with about 69 km underground onshore. Hitachi Energy is supplying two converter stations using its HVDC Light technology, with a direct-current voltage of ±525kV. Its project information lists commissioning in 2029.
The converters are essential because the link must interface with the alternating-current transmission system at either end. Ofgem’s original project assessment described both the subsea route and the terminal infrastructure, illustrating why cable delivery alone cannot unlock the connection’s capacity.
This makes the construction sequence commercially important. Civil works create the conditions for equipment installation, but the benefits depend on the converter stations, cables and associated connections becoming available as one functioning system. Progress at one location cannot compensate indefinitely for a delay elsewhere.
For renewable generators, the value lies in access to a larger market when output exceeds the capacity of the existing network. Additional transfer capability can reduce the extent to which generation is constrained by a particular transmission boundary, although the eventual outcome will depend on conditions across the wider system.
The distinction is key when assessing claims about consumer savings. A 2 GW rating states the connection’s transfer capability – it does not mean that the link will operate at full output continuously or remove every bottleneck affecting Scottish generation.
Nor should completion of this project be treated as a substitute for wider reinforcement. Ofgem assessed EGL2 as part of the infrastructure required to move additional electricity through the network; its contribution also depends on the availability and operation of the assets to which it connects.
For suppliers and contractors, the project’s transition from major civil works towards electrical installation changes the delivery focus. Access arrangements, specialist personnel and the sequencing of equipment become increasingly important as individual work packages converge.
EGL2 remains a significant measure of the UK’s ability to deliver large transmission projects. For industry, the question now is whether progress across its separate construction sites can be converted into a reliable commissioning programme that makes the promised transfer capacity available on schedule.
