The Sea Link project includes 138km of undersea cable connecting converter stations in Kent and Suffolk.
The project features a 138km undersea cable crossing the Thames Estuary and southern North Sea, linking converter stations in Kent and Suffolk. It supports the UK’s goal of enhancing sustainable energy infrastructure.
Zac Richardson, National Grid’s chief engineer and offshore delivery director, stated: “The selection of Sumitomo Electric as preferred bidder, and the use of UK-based cable manufacturing for the first time in decades, is a major step forward. It will bring real investment in UK jobs, skills and industrial capability. Sea Link is part of our wider programme of upgrades that will also support around 55,000 jobs across the UK by the end of the decade.”
Following a detailed tender process, Sumitomo Electric will produce and install the cable from its new facility at the Port of Nigg, Scotland. The £350m ($407m) investment in the factory is expected to create 150 jobs and support local supply chains.
Masaki Shirayama, managing director of Sumitomo Electric, said: “I am pleased with the preferred bidder position for Sea Link and thank National Grid’s team for the evaluation and the decision. We plan to manufacture and supply 525kV HVDC cable from our factory in the UK. As proven in other HVDC projects in the region, we are committed to deliver the project in a timely manner with the highest standards of safety and quality.”
The project builds on Sumitomo Electric’s completion of the Greenlink interconnector in August 2024, connecting Ireland and Wales. Siemens Energy will construct the Sea Link project’s converter stations, advancing its progress.
