Sumitomo selected as preferred subsea cable supplier for Sea Link
National Grid has named cable manufacturer Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. as its preferred bidder to supply and install the subsea cable for Sea Link.
Image for illustration purposes.
UK, London: National Grid has named cable manufacturer 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) connection between Kent and Suffolk. Sumitomo was selected to deliver the 138 km subsea cable after a competitive procurement process.
The work will be carried out using its new UK-manufacturing base at the Port of Nigg in Scotland. 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 factory will create about 150 jobs and support local supply chains and businesses. The announcement is a step forward in strengthening the UK’s energy supply chain and securing future delivery capability for the electricity grid.
Sea Link is a 2 GW 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.
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.”
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 525 kV HVDC cable from our factory in the UK.”
Source: National Grid
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