Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) — the UK's largest electricity transmission scheme — has marked two years on site, reporting major progress from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Wren Hall near Drax in Yorkshire.

The £4.3 billion joint venture between SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission will create a 505km electricity "superhighway" from Peterhead to Drax, featuring the UK's longest subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable. Designed to move up to 2GW of power, once finished EGL2 is expected to carry enough electricity to supply around two million homes.

A new video released to coincide with the milestone charts the transformation since work began in late 2024, with significant structures now rising at converter station sites in both Scotland and England.

At Peterhead, activity has moved from preparing the extensive platform for the converter station to erecting permanent buildings. The steel frame for the first converter building is complete, as is the first alternating current hall; concrete works for both transformer buildings are finished and cladding is advancing across the site.

Earlier in the year, horizontal directional drilling beneath the U66 road installed ducts for the new 400kV cable that will connect the converter station to the existing Peterhead Substation.

At Wren Hall, near Drax, the converter station has similarly progressed from initial preparation and earthworks to substantial construction, with foundations, concrete structures and station buildings increasingly visible.

Across the Yorkshire onshore underground cable route, teams are preparing almost 70km of land for cable installation. Since enabling works began in August 2025, more than 25km of haul road has been laid, over 8km of trenching completed and nine horizontal directional drills undertaken, alongside archaeological, drainage and environmental works.

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Work is also progressing to tie together the onshore and offshore cable systems, with horizontal directional drilling completed at Sandford Bay in Peterhead and under way at Fraisthorpe in Bridlington. In parallel, manufacture of the cables and specialist HVDC equipment continues away from the main construction sites.

The programme's scale is matched by the workforce delivering it: around three million working hours have now been completed across EGL2, with hundreds of people involved and a sustained emphasis on health, safety and wellbeing.

Beyond construction, EGL2 is bringing benefits to host communities, supporting jobs and opportunities, awarding millions of pounds in contracts to local businesses and backing community initiatives along the route.

Fionán Doonan, EGL2 Project Director, said: "Two years ago we were preparing the ground at Peterhead. Today, you can stand on the site and see the scale of what we are building, with the converter station rising out of the ground and the permanent buildings taking shape. It is a remarkable transformation and a real testament to everyone involved in delivering it.

"But Peterhead is just one part of an enormous programme of work. From our converter stations in Aberdeenshire and Yorkshire to the onshore and subsea cable works and the manufacture of specialist equipment, we're seeing strong progress across the project.

"Reaching two years of construction gives us an opportunity to recognise how far we have come, but we also know there is a huge amount still to do. Maintaining this momentum, while continuing to make safety our priority and working responsibly with the communities around us, will be critical as we move into the next phase of delivery."

Neil Lyons, EGL2 Deputy Project Director, said: "The change at Wren Hall over the past two years has been immense. We began with site preparation and earthworks and today the permanent structures of the converter station are becoming increasingly visible. Alongside that, teams are making significant progress across the Yorkshire cable route as we prepare for the installation of the cables themselves.

"Achievements on this scale only happen through genuine collaboration. Hundreds of people are contributing across EGL2, from colleagues and our supply chain partners to local businesses and communities along the route.

"Three million working hours is a significant milestone, and I'm particularly proud that we have reached it while maintaining such a strong focus on health, safety and wellbeing. There is plenty more ahead of us, but after two years of construction you can really see EGL2 becoming a reality."

Once operational, EGL2 will bolster electricity transmission between Scotland and England, moving more renewable power to where it is needed and meeting rising demand from households, businesses and public services.

Further converter station construction, cable installation and system connections lie ahead to integrate the project's elements. The two-year landmark signals substantial progress, with momentum building into another pivotal year of delivery in 2027.

Learn more about the EGL2 project at www.easterngreenlink2.co.uk/.