Siemens Energy and GE Vernova win slice of $76bn National Grid HVDC supply deal
Other suppliers to win contracts from Britain’s grid operator include Hitachi Energy, Mitsubishi Electric and two Korean cable suppliers
Siemens Energy, GE Vernova and Prysmian Group have all won contracts from National Grid as part of its £59bn ($76bn) move to procure all the HVDC cables and transformers it needs for a generational upgrade of Britain’s transmission system.
National Grid has awarded two parts of a £59bn High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) supply chain framework to deliver the required works and equipment needed for projects across the UK.
Launched in 2023, it said the framework aims to “establish long-term, strategic, contractual relationships and secure the critical equipment needed for current and future projects.”
Six suppliers secured positions on a £21.3bn framework agreement to supply HVDC cables. These were a Hellenic and Jan De Nul consortium, LS Cable & System, NKT Cables, Prysmian Group, Sumitomo Electric and Taihan Cable & Solution.
National Grid also awarded four suppliers – GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, Hitachi Energy and Mitsubishi Electric – places on an HVDC converter framework agreement totalling £24.6bn.
Contracts have been secured for a five-year period, with the potential to extend for a further three years.
“This is another exciting milestone in delivering the greatest overhaul of the grid in a generation – The Great Grid Upgrade,” said Carl Trowell, president of strategic infrastructure at National Grid.
“This framework allows us to harness National Grid’s scale to access global supply chains, drive efficiencies, foster innovative technologies and contribute to the UK’s economic prosperity.”
Ben Wilson, president of National Grid Ventures, said: “National Grid is already the largest operator of subsea power cables in the world, the majority of which we delivered in the last six years.”
“World record-breaking sites” like Viking Link – a subsea interconnector between the UK and Denmark – and “pioneering projects” like LionLink – a link between the UK and the Netherlands – need an “ambitious approach for every aspect of their delivery, including with our suppliers,” he said.
Hauke Jürgensen, senior vice president of grid solutions at Germany’s Siemens Energy, said: “The growing global demand for transmission capacity is putting increasing pressure on supply chains. This framework agreement is a good step towards creating more planning security.”