Multinational cable manufacturer Prysmian has awarded Balfour Beatty a contract to install 68km of high voltage direct current (HVDC) land cables from Fraisthorpe Sands to Drax in Yorkshire, England.
The contract is part of the 2GW HVDC electrical ‘superhighway’ cable link that will be built between Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and Drax.
Most of the cable link will run in the North Sea. When complete in 2029, it will increase Great Britain’s capacity to deliver clean renewable energy to around two million homes.
Balfour Beatty will also install 1km of HVDC land cable at Peterhead.
The ‘superhighway’, officially called Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2), is being developed by energy companies SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission.
Underground installation
EGL2 awarded Prysmian a £1.6bn contract last year to design, manufacture, install, test and commission the HVDC system, which includes 436km of submarine cables.
Balfour Beatty is delivering approximately 15% of the route for Prysmian. It will replace and upgrade approximately 25km 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 scheme’s visual impact. They will connect to new converter stations, which will process renewable wind energy generated offshore and deliver it to homes and businesses across Great Britain.
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.”
Main works are expected to start in early 2025.
