Sumitomo Electric to install 525kV HVDC cable for Sea Link project in UK
- December 11, 2025
Sumitomo Electric has secured a contract with National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (NGET) for supply and installation of the 140-km HVDC cable project “Sea Link” between Kent and Suffolk in the UK.
The submarine cable for the project will be manufactured in Sumitomo Electric’s factory in the UK, maximising the social value of the project. The construction of Sea Link is scheduled to begin in 2027, a release by Sumitomo Electric said.
Sea Link is one of the key infrastructure projects of NGET’s “The Great Grid Upgrade” which aims to substantially increase electricity transmission capacity in the UK and efficiently deliver cleaner energy to homes and businesses throughout the country.
Manufacturing facility
The Sea Link cable will be produced in Sumitomo Electric’s state-of-the-art submarine cable factory at Port of Nigg in Scotland, thereby contributing significantly to the policy goals of the UK government, strengthening the local supply chain in the clean power sector, enhancing social value and creating jobs, while supporting sustainability and decarbonisation measures.
The Port of Nigg facility has been built to actively contribute to the UK’s critical electricity transmission infrastructure construction for the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and the Net Zero 2050 initiatives. The factory, once fully operational, will create more than 200 direct jobs as well as numerous jobs in associated and supporting future supply chains. This represents a number of additional personnel directly related to the execution and installation of the project.
Project partners
Sumitomo Electric, as a technology leader in the industry, providing subsea cable solutions for more than 100 years, will manufacture and install the Sea Link cables in reliable and timely manner, in collaboration with project partners Siemens Energy and marine contractor VanOord, the release noted.
Also read: Sumitomo Electric named preferred bidder for 525kV HVDC sea link in UK
Featured photograph (source: Sumitomo Electric) is for representation only