A 138 km link, mostly offshore

The government has approved Sea Link, a major undersea power connection between Suffolk and Kent, on Friday 30 October 2026. Developed by National Grid, the 2 GW link is capable of carrying enough electricity to power the equivalent of 2 million homes. National Grid describes it as a new 138 km, primarily offshore, high-voltage electricity link between the two counties.

By easing pressure on the grid, GOV.UK says Sea Link will help reduce the need to pay generators to switch off when the network cannot carry their electricity. That constraint problem has grown as more wind power comes online far from where demand sits, and new transmission links are the main way to move that power to homes and businesses.

Community funds and construction

Under the government community benefits scheme, delivered by National Grid, more than £1 million each will go to community funds in Kent and Suffolk. National Grid says construction is expected to begin in early 2027, with work to agree final technical details and obligations with local authorities and other stakeholders.

The decision builds on the Prime Minister’s announcement of the Great British Grid, a publicly owned body within Great British Energy. The decisions announced on 30 October bring the number of nationally significant clean energy projects approved since July 2024 to 39.

Two solar projects approved alongside

The same announcement also covers Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park near Newark, Nottinghamshire, an 800 MW project the developer says is equivalent to powering around 400,000 homes a year, and Frodsham Solar in Cheshire, a solar-plus-battery project the developer says is enough for 40,000 homes.

Sources: GOV.UK | National Grid