General Electric’s (NYSE:GE) GE Vernova and Greek industrial group Mytilineos SA (FRA:MYH) have been selected as preferred suppliers of the two high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations for a new 2-GW subsea electricity superhighway between Scotland and North of England.
The Eastern Green Link 1 (EGL1) project is developed by SP Transmission (SPT) and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) and is aimed at deploying a 525-kV HVDC subsea transmission cable from Torness in East Lothian, Scotland to Hawthorn Pit in County Durham, England.
GE Vernova, along with its Greek partner, will provide the engineering works and technology for the HVDC converter stations at either end of the cable link to connect it to the existing grid.
GE Vernova alone will be providing HVDC valves and controls systems, as well as HVDC transformers from their facilities in Staffordshire, UK, according to a recent statement released by NGET.
The GBP-2.5-billion (USD 3.11bn/EUR 2.90bn) transmission link is planned to be 190 kilometres (118 miles) long. It will allow the transmission of renewable energy to power more than two million homes across the UK.
Following final approval of regulatory allowances from the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), full contracts are expected to be completed later in 2023. Construction works are set to start next year, while the project is expected to be completed in 2029.
“With investment in renewables rising by 500% since 2010, we must continue to transform our electricity network to ensure we can move power from where it is generated to where it is needed,” UK’s minister for nuclear and networks, Andrew Bowie, noted in the statement.
Apart from EGL1, NGET has also entered into a joint venture deal with SSEN Transmission on a similar project -- Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2), a 436-kilometre, 2-GW subsea cable link from Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in England.
Earlier this year, Prysmian Group was selected as the exclusive preferred bidder for the HVDC cabling contract for EGL1 and EGL2.
(GBP 1 = USD 1.247/EUR 1.162)
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Image credits: NKT A/S.
