Britain has approved the development of the country’s biggest subsea green electricity highway called Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2), which is a major advancement in increasing renewable energy transmission capacity. It is therefore recommended that this project which costs £3. 4 billion, will build a 2 GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) connection between Peterhead in Aberdeenshire and Drax in North Yorkshire. It shall consist of 436km of subsea cable and 70km of onshore cables with ability to deliver power to about 2million homes.
Completion date
The construction of EGL2 is planned to start later this year, and the commercial operation is planned to begin in 2029. This is one of the initiatives that would help the UK increase its clean energy generation capacity by 2030, thus supporting its climate aims. However, the project, which was approved by National Grid Ventures and SSEN Transmission, seeks to improve the stability of the AC grid, decrease the use of fossil fuels, and foster the transition to a low-carbon economy. In addition to the possible direct effect on energy availability, EGL2 will help to coordinate the interconnection of more generation sources such as offshore wind energy into the grid system.
Scope
This project demonstrates the UK’s vision for its endeavors to enhance the generation of renewable energy to make the country achieve its net-zero emission target by 2050, and therefore the project demonstrates the necessary leadership in addressing climate change through appropriate infrastructure.
“Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) accelerates approval times for projects such as Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) by up to two years. However, streamlining the process does not mean blank cheques for developers as we are able to step in and make financial adjustments to maximise efficiency and consumer benefit.”
Ofgem will publish a statutory consultation on the proposed modifications to the transmission operator (TO) license conditions that will formalize the decision in the coming weeks.
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