By Rachel Amery
Published 13th Aug 2024
The project is the single biggest investment in electricity infrastructure in Britain
Anew £3.4 billion electricity “superhighway” to transmit North Sea energy to England has been approved.
Energy regulator Ofgem has approved the 500 kilometre Eastern Green Link 2 project, which is the single biggest investment in electricity infrastructure in Britain.
The project, which is a joint venture between SSEN and the National Grid, will transport renewable energy generated from wind farms in the North Sea all the way to North Yorkshire.
Ofgem has branded it a “superhighway” as it will carry enough renewable electricity to power two million homes.
Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, 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.”
This comes as the new Labour government said it would ease planning regulations in a bid to get more homes and power infrastructure schemes built.
Most of the 500km interconnector cable, which will move two gigawatts of electricity between Scotland and England, will be laid under the North Sea, with the rest onshore but underground.
Construction could start as early as this year, and is expected to be operational by 2029.
The regulator also provisionally gave the green light to a £295m funding package for a set of upgrades to the electricity grid in Yorkshire, which will include building new substations and overhead lines to improve networks in the north-east of England.
Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, 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.”
This comes as the new Labour government said it would ease planning regulations in a bid to get more homes and power infrastructure schemes built.
Most of the 500km interconnector cable, which will move two gigawatts of electricity between Scotland and England, will be laid under the North Sea, with the rest onshore but underground.
Construction could start as early as this year, and is expected to be operational by 2029.
The regulator also provisionally gave the green light to a £295m funding package for a set of upgrades to the electricity grid in Yorkshire, which will include building new substations and overhead lines to improve networks in the north-east of England.
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