Here you’ll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about EGL2.
About EGL2
Eastern Green Link 2 (known as EGL2) is one of the most significant strategic energy infrastructure developments the UK has seen in recent years, connecting the north of Scotland to Yorkshire via the sea.
EGL2 is a 505km electricity superhighway which will enable the transfer of power from Scotland to England (and vice versa) via a subsea cable. This two-gigawatt, high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable is connecting Peterhead in Aberdeenshire and Drax in North Yorkshire.
When operational it will be capable of transporting enough electricity to power two million homes.
Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and Drax in North Yorkshire, England, are both key hubs in the UK's energy landscape. Peterhead is an area that is becoming a hub for renewable energy generation, particularly from offshore wind, and Drax hosts a National Grid substation and overhead line infrastructure. This project is also a key part of both NGET’s ‘The Great Grid Upgrade’ and SSEN Transmission’s ‘Pathway to 2030’.
EGL2 is a key part of the UK’s drive to upgrade its electricity infrastructure, helping to meet the following challenges:
- Energy security – connecting the network to home-grown sources of renewable generation will help to ensure our electricity network is self-sufficient and less reliant on imports, in particular fossil fuels.
- Increasing demand – electricity demand in the UK is forecasted to double by 2050, EGL2 is crucial to ensuring that the network can supply homes and businesses, whilst operating to required standards.
- Energy decarbonisation – as the UK continues to phase out fossil fuels, the electricity network must be capable of delivering energy from low carbon and renewable forms of generation, including Scottish offshore wind, to homes and businesses across the country.
EGL2 is not alone in helping to meet these challenges - it is one of four Eastern Green Link projects currently in development.
There are three main sections to the construction of EGL2:
- Northern point of connection: In Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, we are building a new onshore converter station and will install underground cabling from the converter station to landfall at Sandford Bay, stretching approximately 1km.
- Marine cable route: Subsea cabling will be installed from Sandford Bay, through Scottish and English waters to landfall at Fraisthorpe Sands.
- Southern point of connection: Onshore underground cable will be installed from landfall at Fraisthorpe Sands running approximately 68km to a new onshore converter station built in Drax, North Yorkshire.
EGL2 is being delivered as a joint venture between Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET). NGET owns and manages the electricity transmission network in England and Wales, and SSEN Transmission does the same in the north of Scotland. The two connection points of EGL2 fall within these operating areas.
A joint venture is a business arrangement in which two or more parties agree to pool their resources for the purpose of accomplishing a specific task.
By bringing together two industry leaders, our approach ensures the best possible outcomes in terms of efficiency, innovation and sustainability. The joint venture leverages the unique strengths of both partners, facilitating knowledge-sharing, risk management, and resource pooling to help meet the ambitious technical and environmental goals of the project.
EGL2 is one of four Eastern Green Link projects that are proposed between Scotland and England. EGL2 and EGL3 are being developed jointly between SSEN Transmission and NGET. EGL2 is expected to be completed in 2029 and EGL3 by the early 2030s.The other two links, EGL1 and EGL4 are being developed jointly by SP Energy Networks and NGET.
EGL3 and EGL4 are aimed at further increasing the capacity for renewable energy transmission to the Midlands and South of England. These projects are integral components of The Great Grid Upgrade, supporting the UK's energy transition and net-zero targets. Together, these projects are integral components to UK energy security and meeting net zero targets.
To find out more about the EGL projects, please visit the following:
- EGL1 - https://www.easterngreenlink1.co.uk/
- EGL3 and EGL4 in England - https://www.nationalgrid.com/the-great-grid-upgrade/eastern-green-link-3-and-4
- EGL3 in Scotland - https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/project-map/eastern-green-link-3/
- EGL4 in Scotland - https://www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/pages/our_transmission_network.aspx
Contacting us
If you have any questions or want to raise an issue, please get in touch with our community relations team below.
EGL2 Community Relations Team
Email: [email protected]
Freephone: 0808 196 8407
Post: Freepost EASTERN GREEN LINK 2 (no further address details or stamp required)
Gillian Doig | Community Liaison Manager
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 07879 288666
Address: SSEN Transmission, Grampian House, 200 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 3GH
If you feel your land may be affected by EGL2, please contact the appropriate member of our Land Teams:
John Farquhar | Land Manager (Scotland)
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 07493 886357
Address: SSEN Transmission, 10 Longman Road, Inverness, IV1 1SN
Dalcour Maclaren Team | Land Team (England)
Email: [email protected]
Address: The Barn, Bignell Park Barns, Chesterton, Bicester OX26 1TD
Construction
Wren Hall Converter Station, Drax
The site will operate a 5-6 day working week, with operations and deliveries being undertaken between 7am-7pm on weekdays and 8am-5pm on Saturdays.
There may be some occasions where work is required outside of these hours, for example, for the delivery of abnormal loads, or for particular construction activities such as the pouring of concrete.
Onshore cable route in England
The sites along the cable route will operate a 5-6 day working week, with operations and deliveries being undertaken between 7am-7pm on weekdays and 7am-5.30pm on Saturdays.
There may be some occasions where work is required outside of these hours, for example, for the delivery of abnormal loads, or for particular construction activities such as the pouring of concrete.
Peterhead Converter Station and onshore cable route in Scotland
Under the terms of our planning permission, working hours are restricted to a 5-6 day working week, with operations and deliveries being undertaken between 7am-7pm on weekdays and 7am-1pm on Saturdays unless otherwise agreed in writing with the planning authority.
July 2025 – March 2026 extended weekend working hours for time-critical activities.
We have reached agreement with the planning authority that necessary and time-critical activities outside the working hours stated above are required and can be undertaken. Please see here for more information on these activities.
We will be undertaking the activities over the period between Saturday 19 July 2025 until March 2026.
Over this period, it is necessary for us to extend our weekend working hours to 7am-5pm Saturday and 8am-5pm Sunday. Please note that not all the activities will be undertaken for this entire period. Some activities will be undertaken for a short duration only.
We are committed to minimising the impact of construction on the local environment, infrastructure and communities.
We have worked with local council representatives and officials to implement a robust Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP). The CTMP includes speed limits, noise limits and hours of operation, which must be complied with by all contractors working on EGL2.
We are doing dilapidation surveys biweekly to check the roads for defects. If any defects are found, then they are recorded and monitored to see they are increasing or need attention.
If repairs are needed, we will undertake repairs as per the specification for the reinstatement of openings in roads (New Roads & Street Work Act 1991) and adhering to chapter 8 guidelines for traffic management. Where appropriate, we also will deploy road sweepers.
We understand how unsettling construction noise can be, especially when it affects peoples' daily lives. Our works are a vital part of building Eastern Green Link 2, and we’re doing everything we can to complete them as quickly and efficiently as possible to reduce the impact on the local community.
To help us reduce the duration and extent of any disruption we prepare and implement specific noise management plans. These plans set out the most practicable techniques and equipment that must be used in order to keep noise to a minimum. Our works are inspected regularly to ensure that the plans are being followed, as well as the plans being periodically reviewed to ensure that they remain effective.
Community benefit and grants
Yes, EGL2 has several avenues for community benefits and grants across our project areas.
You can learn more about our schemes, and how to apply to them, by visiting our dedicated community benefit page here.
We are committed to being a good neighbour and want to deliver fair and enduring benefits for the communities that are hosting new electricity transmission infrastructure. Our funding will deliver lasting local economic, societal, and environmental benefits.
About the transmission operators
SSEN Transmission operate under licence as Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Plc (SHE Transmission) for the transmission of electricity in the north of Scotland.
This transmission network connects large scale generation, primarily renewables, to central and southern Scotland and the rest of Great Britain.
For more information, please visit https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/
National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) owns, builds and maintains the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales. At the heart of Britain’s energy system, connecting millions of people and businesses to the energy they use every day.
For more information, please visit https://www.nationalgrid.com/electricity-transmission/
NGET is regulated by Ofgem (Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets). Further information about Ofgem is available on its website, www.ofgem.gov.uk, or by calling its Consumer Affairs team on 020 7901 7295 or emailing [email protected].