Sea Link undersea power cable between Suffolk and Kent wins consent, with construction due in early 2027

The government granted development consent on Friday for Sea Link, a 2GW electricity connection between Suffolk and Kent that runs mainly under the sea. National Grid is the developer, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says the link can carry enough electricity for the equivalent of 2 million homes.

Work is expected to begin in early 2027 and finish by 2031, subject to detailed construction planning, and National Grid says it will now review the terms of the consent. Siemens Energy has been appointed to build converter stations at each end of the 138km route. The subsea cable comes from Sumitomo Electric, which is putting £350m into a cable factory at the Port of Nigg in Scotland.

Who pays and what it should save

The money question is not fully settled. Ofgem has set out a provisional allowance of £2,891.5m to deliver the project, in 2023/24 prices, and its consultation closed on 29 September. It says it will publish a full decision after considering the responses.

The case for the link rests on congestion. When the network cannot carry electricity to where it is needed, generators are paid to switch off, and the government says Sea Link should reduce that need. Ofgem describes the east coast network as heavily used. It also cites modelling by the National Energy System Operator that suggests consumer benefits of £1.1bn to £1.4bn if the project can be brought forward to 2030.

National Grid will run a community benefits scheme, with more than £1m each for funds in Kent and Suffolk.

Friday's decisions, which also covered two solar farms, take the number of nationally significant clean energy projects approved since July 2024 to 39, the government said. It also plans changes that would let developers and businesses build their own grid connections where appropriate.