Prysmian has been selected by SP Transmission plc and National Grid Electricity Transmission plc, owners of the electricity transmission systems in Great Britain, as the preferred bidder for the Eastern Green Link 4 (EGL4) high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable connection.

A press release said that contract negotiations are ongoing and further communications will be provided in due course. The value is estimated at around €2 billion.

The project, which will connect Scotland and England via the North Sea, will play a central role in further strengthening the U.K.’s energy security. EGL4 will help make the U.K. energy grid more resilient for the future, while facilitating the transition to cleaner and more affordable energy.

Prysmian has considerable experience in such interconnection projects in the U.K., including Eastern Green Link 1 and 2 as well as the Viking Link project, which is the longest high voltage underground and submarine interconnection cable in the world.

Per the customer, EGL4 will require approximately 646 km of cable in total. This includes both the subsea section between Kinghorn, Fife (Scotland) and Anderby Creek or West Norfolk (England), and associated onshore underground cable sections at either end. Of this total, the subsea part is about 530 km, with additional underground cable segments bringing the combined installed cable length to around 646 km for the entire project.