On 30 October 2026, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero granted development consent for Sea Link. Sea Link is a new 138 km primarily offshore high voltage electricity link between Kent and Suffolk.
Sea Link is a key part of The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations. It will help provide homes and businesses with secure, cleaner, home-grown British energy from more affordable sources.
With demand for energy set to double by 2050, Sea Link will carry energy between Kent and Suffolk in either direction to where it is needed, whilst avoiding existing bottlenecks on the network around London.
You can read more about the decision on the Planning Inspectorate's website here.
Why Sea Link is needed?
The existing electricity network in both Kent and Suffolk needs upgrading. This is because the UK’s electricity grid was originally built in the 1960s to connect electricity generated in power stations from fossil fuels, such as coal, from the North and Midlands of England and South Wales.
As the UK moves away from fossil fuels and increases clean energy generation, which is largely offshore, we need to connect electricity in new places.
Demand for electricity is also expected to increase by 50% by 2035, and double by 2050, as we decarbonise the energy that’s used for things like heating and transport.
Therefore, significant new infrastructure is needed to connect this clean energy from where it’s now generated to homes and businesses.
For further info. visit the National Grid website
Source: National Grid
