Regulatory Other

On 19 November 2025 Ofgem published its decision to approve Early Construction Funding (ECF) for the Sea Link project, calculated as 48% of the forecast project cost (SCD1) recorded in NGET's electricity transmission licence ASTI Confidential Annex. The Authority directed that the standard 20% ECF cap under Special Condition 3.41 'ASTIRt' is disapplied for Sea Link on the basis that NGET had demonstrated clear consumer benefits from accelerating delivery (NESO estimating that failure to deliver Sea Link by 2030 could cost consumers £1.1–1.4 billion in constraint costs in that year alone) and that consumer protections are in place to recoup expenditure should the project not proceed. The ECF covers strategic land purchases (including subsea lease), early enabling works (Canterbury-to-Richborough overhead line refurbishment, Friston substation bays, ground surveys, marine UXO survey, early archaeological work) and early procurement commitments (cable and converter OEM contracts). Although calculated as 48% of the licensed 2022 forecast, this represents approximately 27% of the updated cost forecast. The licence modification took effect 56 days after publication. NGET were expected to submit a full Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment Project Assessment (ASTI PA) in late 2025 for full cost-efficiency review. This is the largest ECF percentage approved under the ASTI framework to date and unlocks the early-procurement commitments to Siemens Energy (converters) and Sumitomo Electric (subsea cable).