Two years of construction marked on the UK’s biggest electricity transmission project: EGL2
6 November 2026
Image: An aerial image showing progress made to date at the onshore EGL2 site in Peterhead.
Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2), the UK’s biggest ever electricity transmission project, is celebrating two years of construction, with major progress being made from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Wren Hall in Yorkshire.
The £4.3 billion project, a joint venture between SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission, will see the creation of a 505km electricity superhighway between Peterhead and Drax, including the UK’s longest subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable. Capable of transporting 2GW of electricity, once complete EGL2 will have the capacity to carry enough electricity to power around two million homes.
A new video released to mark the milestone shows the dramatic transformation that has taken place since construction began in late 2024, with major structures now taking shape at the project's converter station sites in both Scotland and England.
Watch the video:
At Peterhead, work has progressed from preparing the vast platform for the new converter station to the construction of its permanent buildings. The steel frame for the first converter building has been completed, alongside the first alternating current hall, while concrete works for both transformer buildings have also been completed and cladding continues across the site.
Earlier this year, horizontal directional drilling was also completed beneath the U66 road to install ducts for the new 400kV cable which will eventually connect the new converter station to the existing Peterhead Substation.
At Wren Hall, near Drax in Yorkshire, the converter station has similarly moved from initial site preparation and earthworks to major construction, with foundations, concrete structures and the station buildings increasingly taking shape.
Image: An aerial image showing progress made to date at the onshore EGL2 site at Wren Hall.
And progress extends far beyond the two converter station sites.
Across the project's onshore underground cable route in Yorkshire, teams are preparing almost 70km of land for cable installation. Since enabling works began in August 2025, more than 25km of haul road has been installed, more than 8km of trenching completed and nine horizontal directional drills carried out, alongside archaeological, drainage and environmental works.
Work is also under way to connect the project's onshore and offshore cable infrastructure, with horizontal directional drilling complete in Sandford Bay in Peterhead and underway at Fraisthorpe in Bridlington, while manufacturing of cables and specialist HVDC equipment continues away from the main construction sites.
The scale of the programme is being matched by the workforce delivering it. Around three million working hours have now been completed across EGL2, supported by hundreds of people working on the project with a continued focus on health, safety and wellbeing.
Alongside construction, EGL2 is delivering benefits for the communities in which it is working, creating jobs and opportunities while placing millions of pounds of contracts with local businesses and supporting community initiatives along its route.
Fionán Doonan, EGL2 Project Director, said:
“Two years ago we were preparing the ground at Peterhead. Today, you can stand on the site and see the scale of what we are building, with the converter station rising out of the ground and the permanent buildings taking shape. It is a remarkable transformation and a real testament to everyone involved in delivering it.
“But Peterhead is just one part of an enormous programme of work. From our converter stations in Aberdeenshire and Yorkshire to the onshore and subsea cable works and the manufacture of specialist equipment, we’re seeing strong progress across the project.
“Reaching two years of construction gives us an opportunity to recognise how far we have come, but we also know there is a huge amount still to do. Maintaining this momentum, while continuing to make safety our priority and working responsibly with the communities around us, will be critical as we move into the next phase of delivery.”
Neil Lyons, EGL2 Deputy Project Director, said:
“The change at Wren Hall over the past two years has been immense. We began with site preparation and earthworks and today the permanent structures of the converter station are becoming increasingly visible. Alongside that, teams are making significant progress across the Yorkshire cable route as we prepare for the installation of the cables themselves.
“Achievements on this scale only happen through genuine collaboration. Hundreds of people are contributing across EGL2, from colleagues and our supply chain partners to local businesses and communities along the route.
“Three million working hours is a significant milestone, and I’m particularly proud that we have reached it while maintaining such a strong focus on health, safety and wellbeing. There is plenty more ahead of us, but after two years of construction you can really see EGL2 becoming a reality.”
Once complete, EGL2 will strengthen the electricity transmission network between Scotland and England, helping transport more renewable electricity to where it is needed and supporting growing demand from homes, businesses and public services.
With further construction of the converter stations ahead, alongside cable installation and the connections required to bring the different elements of the project together, the two-year milestone marks significant progress but only part of the journey.
Two years down, EGL2 is taking shape, with momentum building into another crucial year of construction in 2027.