UK approves Sea Link undersea power cable project
The British government on Friday approved the Sea Link undersea electricity link between the counties of Suffolk and Kent. It will carry 2 GW of power, with construction expected to begin in early 2027.
The United Kingdom's government on Friday, 30 October, gave the go-ahead to Sea Link, a large undersea power grid project linking the English counties of Suffolk and Kent. The connection will be able to carry 2 GW of electricity, and the government says it will strengthen the country's energy security.
The decision was set out in a government statement, as cited by the Ukrainian outlet European Pravda.
What the project involves
Sea Link is a major upgrade of the electricity network. It is designed to carry enough power to supply about 2 million homes. The undersea cables will run for 138 kilometres and will be built by National Grid.
The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the project would make the grid more resilient and reduce costs.
Energy Secretary Michael Shanks said that modernising the network would deliver locally produced energy to where it is needed, make the grid resilient for the future and permanently lower electricity bills.
Timeline
Construction is expected to start in early 2027, with the project due to be completed by the 2030s, subject to detailed planning and agreements being concluded.
Other undersea cable projects
The European Union plans to support the building of a new undersea internet cable connecting Greenland with mainland Europe. This week Turkey published a notice about seabed surveys for a gas pipeline to occupied Northern Cyprus, despite criticism from the EU and the Republic of Cyprus. Meanwhile, Greece and France are considering a "slight rerouting" of the Great Sea Interconnector power cable to Cyprus so that it avoids areas Turkey regards as its continental shelf.
