The UK government has granted development consent for the 2 GW Sea Link subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity connection between Kent and Suffolk.
Sea Link is expected to enter construction in early 2027 and is one of the key infrastructure projects of the National Grid Electricity Transmission’s (NGET) Great Grid Upgrade, which aims to substantially increase electricity transmission capacity in the UK.
The 2 GW project will have converter stations in Suffolk and Kent, linked by a 140-kilometer 525 kV subsea cable through the North Sea and Thames Estuary.
The project will be capable of carrying enough electricity to power the equivalent of 2 million homes.
“Britain’s future rests on rebuilding the national grid so renewable energy and businesses can connect, driving economic growth and reducing our exposure to volatile global fossil fuel markets which are driving up all our bills,” said the UK’s Energy Minister Michael Shanks.
“By rewiring Britain we get homegrown power to where it’s needed, we make sure the grid is resilient for the future and we bring bills down for good.”
Furthermore, the UK government community benefits scheme will be delivered by National Grid with over £1 million (around €1.2 million) each for community funds in Kent and Suffolk.
At the end of 2025, Japanese Sumitomo Electric Industries was contracted to supply and install 140 kilometers of subsea cable for the electricity connection. The 525 kV HVDC cable will be produced at the company’s submarine cable factory at Port of Nigg in Scotland.
