A PROJECT connecting East Lothian to the north of England has received a £2 billion funding package boost.

The proposed Eastern Green Link (EGL1) high-voltage sub-sea cable would be able to transport 2GW of locally produced wind-generated electricity between East Lothian and County Durham.

The project, which aims to deliver a subsea energy superhighway, could connect up to two million homes to clean energy and is the first of its kind to proceed under a new fast-track process.

EGL1 is the first of 26 critical energy projects, worth an estimated £20 billion, to be fast tracked under Ofgem’s new Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework.

Developed by Ofgem, ASTI is designed to speed up the delivery of strategic energy projects to feed more electricity generated by offshore wind to British consumers.

READ MORE: Consultation to start on plan for underwater "super highway" in East Lothian

Rebecca Barnett, Ofgem director of major projects, said: “To meet future energy demand and Government net-zero targets, we need to accelerate the pace at which we build the high-voltage energy network which transports homegrown electricity to where it’s needed.

“Eastern Link 1 is the first project to reach this stage under our new fast-track ASTI process designed to unlock investment, speed up major power projects and boost Britain’s energy security.”

EGL1 is being developed by National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) and SP Transmission, part of SP Energy Networks.

The vast majority of the 196km cable will be under the North Sea, with the remaining 20km underground and linked to substations and converter stations at Torness, near Dunbar, and Hawthorn Pit, in County Durham.

It is anticipated that the connection could be created by 2027.

Ms Barnett added: “We’ve streamlined the approval process without neglecting our due diligence.

“We’ve carried out rigorous checks to ensure consumers are shielded from unnecessary costs and made cost adjustments where we don’t see maximum efficiency and consumer benefit.”

The proposed budget is now subject to a consultation, which closes on Wednesday.

For more information, go to ofgem.gov.uk/consultations