Two, 315-mile-long cables will be ran from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire to Drax, North Yorkshire as part of a wider project to modernise the UK’s clean energy infrastructure and increase the capacity of our energy transmission network in a shift away from fossil fuels.
Although the cables will be able to carry energy both north and south, the majority is expected to come from Scotland to England, with SSEN Transmission stating that the energy transfer project is urgently required to move energy around the grid on days when demand is particularly high.
Ofgem has already assessed the project and expects it to cost around £3.4bn, however SSEN has added that, when considering inflation over the length of the project, it’s likely to be closer to £4.3bn.
As part of the project, a new convertor station will be built close to the Peterhead power station, with the new high voltage seabed cables reaching land near Bridlington, East Yorkshire where they’ll continue underground till they reach Drax and connect to the National Grid.
The cables, when finished, will be cable of carrying enough renewable electricity to power over two million homes.
These two cables will be the first of four subsea electricity links planned along the UK’s east coast, with the eventual aim of being able to power 7.5 million homes.
“The links are vital to modernise the transmission network. We’re obviously trying to have cleaner electricity from renewable sources but what this also does, crucially, is improve our energy security and will ultimately bring down bills.”
Sepi Golzari-Munro – Energy Analyst
Scotland is already a net-exporter of renewable energy, but this new, bi-directional link will mean electricity can be imported if needed, such as on days of low wind when wind farms aren’t producing at full capacity.
Although groundwork has already started around Peterhead, the offshore cable laying wont begin till around 2028, with electricity being carried the year after.
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