Scottish energy transmission system operator SSEN Transmission has awarded an engineering contract to Natural Power to carry out ground investigation services for the onshore section of the proposed 2 GW Eastern Green Link 5 (EGL5) HVDC connection between Aberdeenshire in Scotland and Lincolnshire in England, in the United Kingdom (Natural Power press release, 27/08/2026).
Awarded under SSEN Transmission’s engineering framework, the contract covers ground investigations along the proposed onshore HVDC cable route. The works are planned to provide geotechnical and geoenvironmental data to support the design and development of EGL5, which is intended to increase electricity transmission capacity and facilitate the connection and transfer of offshore wind power. Natural Power said that planning and preparation works were under way, with physical investigation works scheduled to start towards the end of August 2026.
SSEN Transmission plans to submit the Development Consent Order (DCO) application in 2027; if approved, the project would enter the construction phase in 2030 and could be fully operational i 2035, when it would power around two million homes.
The project is intended to strengthen the UK's electricity transmission network and support the connection and transmission of increasing volumes of offshore wind generation, allowing renewable electricity to be transferred between areas of generation and demand.