- Balfour Beatty has laid the final piece of UK land cable for National Grid’s new Viking Link electricity interconnector.
- Work is a key milestone for the project which will stretch 470 miles to join Lincolnshire with Denmark.
- Cable will now be joined to the sea cable which will ultimately link the UK with Denmark
- Once complete Viking Link will be world’s longest land and subsea interconnector and be able to import enough green power for up to 1.4 million UK homes.
Balfour Beatty has successfully laid the final piece of UK land cable required for National Grid’s new interconnector which on completion, will connect the British and Danish power grids.
Balfour Beatty used specialist machinery to reel the final piece of land cable into position near Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire, marking the 118th cable laid in the 65km land route which runs from the coast to Bicker Fen Substation where imported green energy will join the UK transmission system.
Ian Currie, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission and Distribution business said: “We’re delighted to have successfully delivered the final cable pull on the Viking Link project – a milestone which marks a giant leap forward in connecting and securing the electricity supply between Britain and Denmark.
"We now turn our attention to the final stages of the scheme which once complete, will provide 1.4 million homes in Britain with renewable energy and in turn, help the UK to achieve its net zero targets.”
Phil Sandy, National Grid Director for New Interconnectors said: "This is a key milestone for Viking Link and means we are one step closer to completion. Once operational Viking Link will play a key role in the UK energy system allowing us to share green energy with our partners in Denmark and ensure security of supply.
"By 2030, we estimate our interconnectors, will have saved the UK around 100 million tonnes of CO2 by enabling the fast and flexible sharing of clean and green energy with our European neighbours. This is equivalent to taking two million cars off the road. Interconnectors also play a key role as we move away from oil and gas. These vital superhighways connect Britain with cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy for consumers."
The Viking Link electricity interconnector project will contribute to the UK Government’s carbon reduction commitment to reduce all greenhouse emissions to net zero by 2050, by providing access to a well-developed, low-cost renewable energy market.
ENDS
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Notes to editors:
- Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group with 24,500 employees driving the delivery of powerful new solutions, shaping thinking, creating skylines and inspiring a new generation of talent to be the change-makers of tomorrow.
- We finance, develop, build, maintain and operate the increasingly complex and critical infrastructure that supports national economies and deliver projects at the heart of local communities.
- Over the last 113 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world including: the £1.5 billion A14 improvement scheme - Britain’s biggest road project; Hong Kong’s HK$5.5 billion world-class harbour theatre project for the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority; and the 12.5 mile $429 million North Metro Commuter Rail line in Colorado, US.
- Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to provide technical engineering solutions across the full spectrum of the electricity grid, including overhead lines, cabling, substations and distribution networks. From scoping and feasibility, to design, construction and on-going maintenance, our in-house experts, flexible resources and industry-leading innovations support clients in the development of some of the UK’s most ambitious power transmission and distribution projects.
