National Grid has signed two contracts for Sea Link, a proposed 140km subsea electricity connection set to deliver power between Kent and Suffolk.
Siemens Energy has been appointed to build the project’s converter stations, while Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. will supply the high-voltage cable that makes the connection possible.
The investment is part of the Great Grid Upgrade programme, which seeks to support up to 55,000 jobs across design, construction, engineering, manufacturing, and the winder supply chain.
Sumitomo Electric’s involvement marks a major milestone with the return of high-voltage direct current cable manufacturing to the UK for the first time in more than 20 years.
Sumitomo’s £350m investment in Scotland’s Port of Nigg will create roughly 150 jobs, National Grid said.
Carl Trowell, President of Strategic Infrastructure at National Grid, said: “The Great Grid Upgrade is more than an energy programme, it is one of the UK’s biggest engines of economic growth.
“By investing in skills, securing our supply chain, and working with world-class partners like Siemens Energy and Sumitomo Electric, we are supporting tens of thousands of high-quality jobs and the manufacturing capability the UK needs for the long term.”
Masaki Shirayama, Managing Director of Sumitomo Electric, said: “The Sea Link Project announcement represents a major step towards investment in the local supply chain in the UK, and we are proud to have its new cable manufacturing facility, which plays a pivotal role in contributing to the UK’s ambitious Net Zero plans”.