Iberdrola awards contracts worth €3.5 billion for the Eastern Green Link 4 subsea interconnector in the UK

The Iberdrola Group, through its British subsidiary SP Energy Networks, has awarded contracts worth over £3 billion (around €3.5 billion) for the development of the subsea electricity interconnector Eastern Green Link 4 (EGL4) between Scotland and England. This infrastructure will strengthen the UK's energy system, increase the security and self-sufficiency of the supply and support the country's economic growth.

Under the signed agreement, Siemens Energy will build two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations, which will convert alternating current to direct current to transmit electricity more efficiently at 525,000 volts over long distances. The electricity will travel around 640 kilometres, mostly under the sea, before being converted back for integration into the onshore grid.

This is the second major contract linked to this project following the one signed earlier this year with Prysmian, worth £2 billion (around €2.3 billion), for the supply of over 640 kilometres of cable, of which 530 kilometres will be subsea and 116 kilometres underground.

With a capacity of 2,000 megawatts, Eastern Green Link 4 will link Fife in Scotland with Norfolk in England and will be able to transport enough renewable energy to supply more than 1.5 million homes. The converter stations will be located in these two regions. The main construction phase will begin in 2028, with commissioning scheduled for 2033.

This project complements Eastern Green Link 1, another 2,000 megawatts link whose construction began in 2025 and which will connect Torness in Scotland with Hawthorne Pit in England. This project is expected to be completed in 2029.

In total, Iberdrola will invest €14 billion by 2031 in transmission networks to increase the UK's capacity to transfer electricity between regions and strengthen energy security and self-sufficiency by reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels. Furthermore it will facilitate the integration of new clean generation and promote job creation and economic and social development.

The UK is one of the Iberdrola Group's main investment destinations: the company plans to invest €20 billion in the country by 2028 to strengthen energy security and move towards a more self-sufficient, sustainable and competitive system.