National Grid has signed two contracts for Sea Link, a proposed 140-kilometre subsea electricity link intended to transmit power between Kent and Suffolk, the company said on Thursday.
Siemens Energy has been appointed to build the project’s converter stations, while Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. will supply the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable required for the connection.
The investment is part of the Great Grid Upgrade, a national programme aimed at expanding network capacity and supporting up to 55,000 jobs across design, construction, engineering, manufacturing and the wider supply chain.
National Grid said Sumitomo Electric’s involvement is a significant milestone, marking the return of HVDC cable manufacturing to the United Kingdom for the first time in more than two decades. The company’s £350 million investment at the Port of Nigg in Scotland will create around 150 jobs.
