A series of important marine surveys will be taking place over the coming months in Sandford Bay near Boddam, Peterhead, as part of the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) project – the UK’s biggest ever electricity transmission project.
EGL2, a joint venture between SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission, will see the installation of a 505km 2GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable linking Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in Yorkshire. The electricity superhighway will transport enough clean energy to power around two million homes.
To inform the cable’s route and design, the following marine survey activities will be carried out:
- Geophysical Surveys (May-June 2025):
Vessels will conduct daily sweeps of Sandford Bay to collect seabed and subsurface data; - Geotechnical Surveys (July-August 2025):
A jack-up barge will collect seabed core samples at four offshore positions; and - Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Investigations (August-October 2025):
Remote operated vehicles will scan an 80-metre-wide seabed corridor along the cable route to detect and safely assess potential UXO targets.
In addition to the offshore work, onshore environmental and technical surveys will be carried out near Sandford Bay, starting this month.
Ricky Saez, EGL2 Project Director, said: “These surveys are an essential part of planning and delivering a project that will help unlock the full potential of Scotland and the UK’s renewable energy resources.
“We’re grateful for the cooperation of local residents and the fishing community as we work to deliver this nationally important infrastructure.”
Public access to the beach will remain unaffected throughout the operations and notices to mariners will be issued ahead of each survey phase – with the project team committed to ongoing collaboration with the local fishing community.
For more information and regular updates, visit www.easterngreenlink2.co.uk or contact the Community Liaison Manager, Gillian Doig, at [email protected].
