Balfour Beatty has won a contract to install 68 kilometres of high voltage direct current (HVDC) land cables between England and Scotland.
Awarded the contract by cable manufacturer Prysmian, the cables will run from Fraisthorpe Sands to Drax in North Yorkshire, as well as an additional 1 kilometre of HVDC land cable at Peterhead, in Scotland.
The contract forms part of the 2GW HVDC electrical ‘superhighway’ cable link, 525 kilovolts, to be built between Peterhead and Drax.
The Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) project is being jointly developed by SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission.
Prysmian was awarded a £1.6 million contract by EGL2 Limited to design, manufacture, install, test and commission the required HVDC cable system which includes 436 kilometres of HVDC submarine cables.
Balfour Beatty is delivering around 15 per cent of the route on behalf of Prysmian.
Main works are expected to start early 2025 and complete in 2029.
The contract will build on the company’s appointment by National Grid in June to replace and upgrade approximately 25 kilometres of new overhead lines in North Yorkshire, which will increase the capacity to connect the EGL2 project.
The cables will be installed underground, to reduce the visual impact of the scheme and protect the landscape across East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and at Peterhead.
Tony Wilson, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission and Distribution business said: “With a proven track record of working on complex cabling projects, this contract further demonstrates our leading role in delivering the vital infrastructure needed to reinforce the energy sector.
“Our experience and deep domain knowledge positions us perfectly to complete these latest works for the project which will power around two million homes and businesses, supporting the UK’s transition to clean energy.”
At construction peak, the project is expected to employ 140 people including graduate and apprenticeship positions.
The project adds to Balfour’s recent portfolio of major electricity network infrastructure contracts won over the past few months.
These include, a £690 million grid expansion in Hebrides and West Highlands awarded, as well as a £192 million contract to construct three new substations in Argyll on behalf of Scottish and Southern Electricity Network Transmission.
Was this interesting? Try: Barhale orderbook tops £1 billion
If you have a tip or story idea that fits with our publication, please contact the news reporter/editor
Get industry news in 5 minutes!
A daily email that makes industry news enjoyable. It’s completely free.