UK approves Sea Link subsea electricity cable project
The UK government on Friday approved the Sea Link subsea power grid project between the counties of Suffolk and Kent, capable of carrying 2 GW of electricity. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027.
The British government on Friday, 30 October, gave the green light to a large subsea electricity grid project called Sea Link, which will connect the English counties of Suffolk and Kent. The new link will be able to carry 2 gigawatts of electricity, and its stated aim is to strengthen the country's energy security.
According to the government's statement, the project involves a major upgrade of the power grid. The electricity it can transmit would be enough to supply roughly two million homes.
What is planned
The company National Grid will carry out the construction. The subsea cables will have a total length of 138 kilometres. Work is expected to start in early 2027 and finish in the 2030s, provided detailed planning is completed and the necessary agreements are signed.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the project would help make the grid more resilient and reduce costs. Energy minister Michael Shanks said that upgrading the grid delivers locally produced energy to where it is needed, secures the network for the future and permanently lowers electricity bills.
Other cable projects in Europe
The source report notes that the European Union plans to support a new subsea internet cable linking Greenland with mainland Europe. Separately, Greece and France are considering a minor re-routing of the Great Sea Interconnector power cable to Cyprus so that it avoids areas Turkey regards as its continental shelf.
