New £3.4bn electricity ‘superhighway’ between Scotland and England gets go ahead

Energy regulator Ofgem has given the green light to a £3.4bn electricity ‘superhighway’, which will carry renewable energy from the North Sea to England.

The subsea power cable, known as the Eastern Green Link cable project, will carry sufficient electricity from Scottish windfarms to power two million homes in England, Ofgem has claimed.  

Construction is set to start later this year, with power transmission from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to North Yorkshire to begin in 2029.

Most of the 500km long cable will be laid under the North Sea, with a small section running underground onshore.

The project, a joint venture between SSEN and the National Grid, marks the largest investment in the UK’s electricity grid to date and is the first of 26 connection projects the regulator aims to fast-track to support Labour’s target to reach clean power by 2030.

Ofgem claimed the plans are “vital to upgrade the energy system” and could deliver around £1.5bn in savings. 

Jonathan Brearley, Ofgem's chief executive, said: “Ofgem is fully committed to supporting the government to meet its aims of getting clean power by 2030.

“Today's announcement is a further step in putting the regulatory systems and processes in place to speed up network regulation to achieve its aim."