Balfour Beatty plc (LSE:BBY) has been awarded a £363 million contract by National Grid PLC (LSE:NG.) to replace power lines across East Anglia.
This will reinforce the network to ensure the grid can cope with clean energy projects needed for the UK’s transition to net zero, Balfour said Friday.
“This award demonstrates the momentum we are capturing in the energy security and transition market,” Balfour chief executive Leo Quinn commented.
“This latest award will once again enable our expert teams to deploy their proven capability to successfully deliver [...] cabling works in complex and challenging landscapes.”
New overhead and underground cables will be installed between Bramford, Suffolk and Twinstead Tee in Essex under the contract, replacing the existing network.
These will span 18 kilometres above and 11 kilometres underground, with the Bramford substation directly linked to the Sizewell nuclear power station.
Several wind farms are also based off the East Anglian coast, prompting National Grid previously to warn about the need to increase network capacity in the area from 3,200 megawatts currently to over 15,000 as new projects are built.
Balfour added a commitment to improving biodiversity had been made, given the underground element would run beneath the Dedham Vale area of outstanding natural beauty.
Construction of the new lines is due to start next year, before completion in 2028.