National Grid selects Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. as preferred subsea cable supplier for Sea Link project

National Grid has named one of the world's leading cable manufacturers, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., as its preferred bidder to supply and install the subsea cable for Sea Link, a new high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity connection between Kent and Suffolk. The project will help deliver more clean, secure and affordable energy to homes, businesses and public services in the regions and beyond.

Following a competitive procurement process, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. has been selected as the preferred bidder to deliver the 138km subsea cable. The work will be carried out using its new UK-manufacturing base at the Port of Nigg in Scotland, currently under construction.  Once operational, the facility will mark the first time in around 20 years that HVDC transmission cable has been manufactured in the UK. 

Sumitomo Electric’s £350 million investment in the Nigg factory will create around 150 jobs and support local supply chains and businesses.  This announcement represents a major step forward in strengthening the UK’s energy supply chain and securing future delivery capability for the electricity grid.  

Sea Link is a 2GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) connection, running through the Thames Estuary and the southern North Sea, linking converter stations in Kent and Suffolk. The connection will run mostly under the sea, helping to increase capacity in the network and enabling more renewable and low-carbon electricity to flow where it is needed.

This is the latest preferred bidder announcement for the project, following the recent selection of Siemens Energy to deliver the construction of the converter stations.

Zac Richardson, Chief Engineer and Offshore Delivery Director for Strategic Infrastructure at National Grid, said:

Delivering projects at this pace and scale demands strong collaboration and early engagement with supply chain partners. The selection of Sumitomo Electric as preferred bidder, and the use of UK-based cable manufacturing for the first time in decades is a major step forward.  It will bring real investment in UK jobs, skills and industrial capability. Sea Link is part of our wider programme of upgrades that will also support around 55,000 jobs across the UK by the end of the decade.

Masaki Shirayama, Managing Director of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., said:

I am pleased with the preferred bidder position for Sea Link and really thank National Grid’s team for the evaluation and the decision. Our plan is to manufacture and supply 525kV HVDC cable from our factory in the UK. As proven in other HVDC projects in the region, we are committed to deliver the project in timely manner with the highest standards of safety and quality.

Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:

For the first time in two decades, high-voltage direct current grid cables will be manufactured in the UK – creating jobs and investment in communities in the north of Scotland. This is a demonstration of the opportunities for Scotland from the UK Government’s clean power mission. By working together across the UK, we unlock the full potential of clean power and deliver the economic benefits for every part of the country.