In Energy Live News yesterday:
Energy market regulator Ofgem has decided to proceed to the Final Needs Case stage of the regulatory approvals for two electricity transmission links that will connect Scotland and England along the east coast.
More specifically the ‘Eastern HVDC’ (EHVDC) project aims to construct two High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) links, each with an expected capacity of 2GW.
At an estimated cost of £3.4bn for the two links, the EHVDC project is predicted to become the largest electricity transmission investment project in the recent history of Britain.
Once commissioned, the project is expected to alleviate constraints on the British transmission system.
https://www.energylivenews.com/2021/11/09/ofgem-greenlights-two-scotland-to-england-green-links/
How many houses can 4 GW power?
One gigawatt is roughly the size of two coal-fired power plants and is enough energy to power 750,000 homes.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2011/11/08/california-hits-renewable-energy-milestone-1-gigawatt-of-solar-power-installed-to-date/
Talking-up Scotland 
Useful for when we are Independent. It will allow Scotland plc to get more revenue from our auld Union, or maybe this will become the auld alliance!!
To think that prior to 2015 there were no high capacity inter connectors between Scotland and England. Now we give them just over 18% of their power.
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The Auld Reliance, maybe!
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The Wishaw Pact?
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The Irn-Bru curtain.
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Now just let that “….the project is expected to alleviate constraints on the British transmission system” sink in for a minute, what “constraints” and where…?
The cables are from Peterhead to Drax, 2 x 2GW = 4GW.
Drax power station’s max capacity is 3.95GW and they’re burning coal and imported woodchips by the shipload….
They can’t suck any more out of Scotland and charge a premium to allow it ?
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Here we go again! First it was oil, now electricity and next probably water. The plundering of our national assets continues apace.
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How long can it possibly take for Scottish Nation to wake up to the removal of our natural assets?
I sometimes despair for us.
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Despair for the English too. They stand outside their houses clapping the NHS then turn round and vote Tory. Some of them think they have free will.
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Indeed and whatever their chosen EngGov hits them with, they insist Scotland should suffer the same. Scotland, get out while you can, before it’s too late.
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England; thanks for keeping us cosy and warm you sweaty lazy good for nothing Jocks, ha ha ha lol lol lol!!!
That OK with you Scotland?
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Anyhoo very glad the people of England are going to be nice and warm, while I keep the heater off because the new (imposed by EngGov’s Ofgem) provider of our energy is BritNat gas and their tariff is rather higher than Scottish company People’s Energy was. BG have not finalised setting up my ‘account’ (what’s the delay?) and advise not ‘switching’ until they have, how very handy, for them.
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These links are rather akin to
The Bank Robbers get away veichle
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“.. approvals for two electricity transmission links that will connect Scotland and England along the east coast.”
Don’t forget that a similar link – the ‘Western HVDC’ link – has recently been built with a sub-sea cable linking Hunterston via the Irish Sea with North Wales. It’s experiencing some technical problems which have caused outages: these have already constrained electricity generation for short periods in Scotland such is the present generation capacity.
In some descriptions of this Western HVDC link you’ll find an emphasis on the bidirectional capability of the technology i.e. permitting electricity to flow north into Scotland if and when demand requires.
However, it seems certain from reading around that the investment case for this Western project was wholly based from the outset on the value of electricity from the growth in renewable energy output in Scotland flowing south for use in England – the same as for the eastern link.
See this source as just one of many examples: https://www.iberdrola.com/about-us/lines-business/flagship-projects/western-link
‘This project, which had required an investment of €1,200 million, enables the transmission of renewable energy from Scotland to homes and businesses located in Wales and England by laying 850 km of high-voltage cable, 770 of which run under the sea.’
And” ‘… increasing the interconnection capacity by over 2,200 megawatts (MW), enough to supply the electrical demand of more than four million homes every year.’
It’s important to recognise that because of current electricity generation capacity from renewables and especially its huge yet to be exploited potential, the generating industry in Scotland needs additional transmission routes to markets outside Scotland or else even current operations and certainly future growth will be severely constrained.
The key issue right NOW is which democratically elected institution has the agency to decide how all this is handled in terms of policy direction and benefit for Scotland and its people. Presently this is very largely Westminster.
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They took the Oil. Now they are taking the renewables. Without paying for it. Scotland pays more despite being in surplus and nearer the source. Scotland should be paying less for parity.
Reneged on CCS projects.
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