International law firm CMS has advised National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (NGET) and SP Transmission plc (SPT) on the Eastern Green Link 1 project (EGL1).
NGET owns and maintains the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales, while SPT is responsible for the transmission of electricity in central and southern Scotland.
The EGL1 project is one of a series of planned system reinforcements between Scotland and England that will significantly increase the capability and resilience of the existing UK transmission network and will support the UK government target of enabling 50 GW offshore wind generation by 2030. The cable system, with a power transmission capacity of 2 GW, will be the first in the UK to use 525 kV HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) technology with extruded XLPE insulation.
CMS Energy and Climate Change Partner Vini Cowden commented: “We are delighted to have advised on this project, which plays a key role in supporting the UK reaching its net zero targets.”
The CMS multidisciplinary team was led by Vini Cowden and Phil Duffield, and included Chris McGarvey, Kirsty Mitchell, Hannah Gibson, Oliver Ratnatunga and Keren Jemima Austria (E&I); Phil Reid (Tax); Katie Duffield and Emma Riddle (Finance); Adrian Bell and Aidan Steensma (ICE Disputes); with support from many others. Considerable patience and support was provided by Alison Cooper (E&I) and the reception and catering teams in Cannon Place. The procurement team was led by Graeme Young with support from Kirsti McKenzie. The corporate team advising SPT and NGET on their joint venture arrangements was led by Nick Blair with support from James Day, Matty Desmond and Nicola Curry (Corporate); Laura Lucy (IP); Emma Burnett and Joanna Willems (TMIC); and Jean-Francois Willems (Competition).
