The Eastern Green Link 1 project's groundbreaking marks a significant turning point in the UK's transmission network improvements and is a fundamental component of a larger plan to encourage the deployment of more renewable energy sources.

A crucial component of the transmission architecture anticipated to facilitate the UK's adoption of renewable energy sources, a 2 GW, 525 kV high voltage direct-current (HVDC) cable between Scotland and England, has started construction. 

When finished, Eastern Green Link 1 (EGL1) will span 190 kilometers between Hawthorn Pit in County Durham, northeast England, and Torness, close to Edinburgh, using around 400 km of HVDC cable. In late 2023, Prysmian Group, an Italian cabling business, was awarded the contract to supply the cable for EGL1.

National Grid Electricity Transmission and SP Energy Networks, the owners of transmission networks, are collaborating to create the GBP 2.5 billion ($3.15 billion) project. Onshore construction is underway, while the offshore installation is anticipated to commence in the summer of 2025. At either end of the cable, Metlen Energy & Metals has been chosen to develop and provide HVDC converter stations in collaboration with GE Vernova's Grid Solutions, a producer of energy equipment.

EGL1 development began after Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) construction began in August 2024. The EGL2 project is a 505 km, 525 kV, 2 GW HVDC cables that connect Yorkshire, England, with Peterhead, in northeastern Scotland. New transmission lines between the north of Great Britain, which is rich in renewable energy, and the south, which has high demand, are intended to facilitate the deployment of renewable energy.