The UK and Scottish Governments are committed to increasing the use of renewable energy and have targets to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 in Scotland and 2050 in the UK.
As the country shifts away from traditional forms of fuel to heat homes, charge vehicles and power businesses, there is greater need for clean electricity. By the end of this decade, the UK Government also aims for every home in the country to be powered by offshore wind and has set a 50 gigawatts (GW) offshore wind connections target by 2030.
Where does EGL1 fit in?
EGL1 is a crucial part of the solution to achieve the Government’s 2030 target.
Our project is designed to significantly increase the UK’s capacity to transport clean renewable energy to consumers by improving the capability and resilience of the electricity transmission network between Scotland and England.
Once complete, EGL1 will deliver enough electricity for two million homes.
The other EGLs
EGL1 is not the only Eastern Green Link that is planned. There are three others currently in development to further scale up the electricity transmission network between Scotland and England.
EGL1 and EGL4 are being developed by SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission. The other two links, EGL2 and EGL3, are being developed jointly between Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission.
Meeting the net zero challenge
EGL1 – Will be able to transport up to 2GW of renewable energy from Scotland’s rich renewable energy reserves, particularly offshore wind, to consumers in the rest of the UK. That’s enough energy for two million homes.
World – The UK has a world-leading target to tackle climate change, which is to achieve net zero by 2050 with Scotland having a target of 2045. We are already making progress towards this goal: 2020 was the greenest year on record for our electricity system. But more needs to be done.
Community benefit – We are keen to be a good neighbour to the local communities within which we work and ensure we maximise the social value we ultimately deliver.
Jobs – EGL1 will create new jobs to build the project however across the whole energy sector hundreds of thousands of jobs will need be to created to meet the UK's goal of net zero by 2050.
Offshore Wind – The UK is the second largest offshore wind market in the world. The British Energy Security Strategy, published in April 2022, set the ambition to achieve up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, including 5GW from innovative floating technology.
Part of the challenge is getting all this electricity generated offshore to consumers in the UK. EGL1 is a key part of the solution.
Solar Power – The UK Government’s Powering up Britain report, published in March 2023, has affirmed its ambition for a five-fold increase in deployment of solar generation by 2035.
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