Executive Summary

• Siemens Energy has been contracted to provide HDVC converter stations for Eastern Green Link 4, while Prysmian has been contracted to supply subsea and underground electricity cables
• The supply chain contracts are valued at approximately £3 billion and will ‘strengthen the resilience of the electricity network’ and reduce grid constraints among other benefits
• The link, a joint venture between SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission, is set to commence main construction in 2028

Siemens Energy and Prysmian have been awarded contracts to the cumulative tune of £3 billion by Eastern Green Link 4, one of five subsea links being developed across the east cost of Britain.

The former will provide the high voltage direct current (HDVC) converter stations for Eastern Green Link 4 – a joint venture between SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission – while the latter will supply subsea and underground electricity cables.

The two converter stations, in Fife and Norfolk respectively, convert alternating current into direct current to enable the electricity to travel along the undersea network before being converted again to go onshore.

National Grid said that the projects will together ‘strengthen the resilience of the electricity network, reduce grid constraints and enable greater volumes of renewable energy to flow efficiently between Scotland and England to millions of homes, strengthening UK energy security.’

“Eastern Green Link 4 is a critical project for strengthening the UK’s electricity network and enabling more renewable power to flow between Scotland and England,” said Darren Davidson (right), UK vice president for Siemens Energy. “Working with our partners… we’re investing in the supply chain to deliver this nationally significant HVDC infrastructure.

“With more than 7,000 people employed by Siemens Energy across the UK, including at our centre of excellence in Manchester, this project highlights how investment in grid infrastructure supports skilled jobs, energy security, and the UK’s long-term transition to a more resilient energy system,” Davidson added.

Iain Adams, deputy project director of Eastern Green Link 4, said that ‘many more’ UK contracts will come for the link, looking to increase grid capacity, and transport clean power, between Scotland and England. “Securing the international expertise of Siemens Energy and Prysmian to help us deliver this vital electricity connection is a real project milestone,” Adams added.

Eastern Green Link 4 is expected to enter main construction in 2028 and be completed by 2033. By comparison, the first Eastern Green Link, a two-gigawatt high voltage direct current electrical connected between East Lothian and County Durham, started work in March 2025 and is expected to be fully operational in 2029.