IN Brief:
- National Grid has opened Stage 2 consultation on Eastern Green Link 5 in England.
- The proposed link would carry up to 2GW of electricity between Scotland and England.
- The English proposals include offshore infrastructure, a landfall at Anderby Creek, underground cable, and a new converter station near Bilsby.
National Grid has opened Stage 2 consultation on Eastern Green Link 5, a proposed high-voltage electricity link between Scotland and England that would carry up to 2GW of power.
The consultation opened on 29 May 2026 and is due to close on 24 July 2026. The English proposals cover the offshore and onshore elements being taken forward by National Grid Electricity Transmission, including a landfall at Anderby Creek in Lincolnshire, up to 8km of underground cable, and a new converter station in the north-east Bilsby area.
The project would connect to the planned Lincolnshire Connection Substation-B, which forms part of the wider Grimsby to Walpole network reinforcement. The English elements are expected to be consented through a Development Consent Order process, while SSEN Transmission is responsible for the Scottish onshore elements and the Scottish offshore waters section.
Eastern Green Link 5 forms part of the Great Grid Upgrade, the programme of major transmission works intended to increase electricity network capacity and support the transfer of renewable power from areas of generation to areas of demand. It sits alongside other high-voltage reinforcement schemes being developed to accommodate offshore wind, reduce constraint costs, and improve system resilience.
As transmission construction expands, the policy framework around local hosting is also developing. Ofgem’s role in running a transmission bill discount scheme forms part of the broader effort to manage public acceptance around new grid infrastructure, particularly where converter stations, substations, and cable corridors affect local communities.
The technical role of Eastern Green Link 5 is direct, but delivery is complex. Scotland has substantial renewable generation potential, while much of Britain’s demand is concentrated further south. Moving large volumes of electricity across that distance requires high-capacity transmission corridors, offshore cables, converter stations, and carefully managed onshore interfaces.
HVDC links are becoming increasingly important in this buildout because they can transmit large amounts of power over long distances with controllable flows and lower losses than equivalent long-distance AC reinforcement. They also require complex converter infrastructure, protection systems, harmonic management, cooling systems, control platforms, and grid integration work at each end.
The landfall and converter station proposals will be scrutinised through consultation. Cable routing, construction traffic, environmental impact, drainage, noise, visual effects, agricultural land, and community disruption all influence the deliverability of major transmission projects. The engineering case for grid expansion is strong, but consenting and local delivery conditions often determine how quickly projects can move from planning to construction.
Eastern Green Link 5 also shows how closely offshore and onshore grid planning now interact. Offshore wind capacity cannot be treated separately from the transmission infrastructure required to move its output. Converter stations, substations, underground cables, and connection points are all part of the same delivery chain, and delays at any stage can limit how much renewable generation reaches the system.
The proposed 2GW capacity would make the link a significant addition to Britain’s north-south power transfer capability. It will not remove the need for other reinforcements, but it would add another controllable route for renewable electricity and help reduce pressure on constrained parts of the network.
The consultation material is available from National Grid’s Eastern Green Link 5 project page.
