SSEN Transmission – part of the SSE Group has welcomed the decision by Ofgem to approve the first one of two subsea links planned to connect Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland to demand centers in England to support the growth of renewable energy.
The initial green energy 2GW link that will be taken forward is from Peterhead to Drax in Yorkshire in England, and is a joint venture between SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET).
The subsea green energy link named High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) has a capacity of 2GW which is enough to power over 2 million homes. It has a total estimated investment of around $2.75 billion (£2.1 billion) and will aim to provide essential reinforcements to the British energy system to support the low carbon energy generation.
The investment in the new links is also part of the SSE Group’s Net Zero Acceleration Programme, which will see £12.5 billion in extra funding over the next few years to 2026 aiming to deliver the pathway to zero emissions.
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The link plays a critical role in supporting the security of the UK’s energy supply, as it also reduces dependence on foreign oil and gas and volatile global wholesale markets.
“We welcome Ofgem’s timely decision to provisionally approve the first of two subsea links planned to connect Peterhead in Scotland to demand centers in England. These links are critical to our net zero ambitions, delivering UK and Scottish Government renewable targets and reducing our dependence on volatile wholesale gas markets by supporting indigenous low carbon electricity generation,” said Rob McDonald, Managing Director of SSEN Transmission.
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Those investments will also play a role in the green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic as they will support hundreds of green jobs throughout construction and operation and thousands of others throughout the supply chain and the wider economy. Making sure economic recovery from recent disruptive global events is green and sustainable for the long run is a priority for European policymakers as the world is in urgent need to accelerate the response to the climate change crisis.
