A £1 billion contract has been awarded for the construction of the first sub-sea electricity link between Scotland and England, energy firms announced today.
The 261-mile line will run from Hunterston in Ayrshire to a landing point on the Wirral peninsula and will have a 2,200 megawatt (MW) capacity.
National Grid and ScottishPower have awarded the £1 billion contract to Siemens and cable manufacturer Prysmian.
They said the new link will enable large volumes of renewable wind and other energy generation to be transferred from Scotland to areas of higher demand in England.
The firms said it will be the longest 2,200MW capacity high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable in the world.
