Sealink: Early Construction Funding consultation
Summary
Ofgem approves Early Construction Funding for the Sea Link electricity transmission project (NOA code SCD1). Decision taken under NGET's transmission licence Special Condition 3.41 (the ASTI Re-opener).
Why it matters
Sea Link is one of the headline ASTI projects, a 2GW subsea HVDC link between Suffolk and Kent. ECF approval lets NGET commit early-construction spending ahead of full project consent. Companion to the SHET and NGET-portfolio ECF decisions; consumer-funded de-risking of strategic transmission build.
Areas affected
Related programmes
Memo
What this is about
Ofgem is consulting on whether to approve Early Construction Funding (ECF) for Sea Link, the 2 GW subsea HVDC interconnector between Suffolk and Kent that is one of the headline projects in the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework. ECF is the funding mechanism that lets National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) draw down allowances for pre-construction and early construction activities ahead of the full Final Needs Case and full project funding decision. The legal instrument is Special Condition 3.41 of NGET's electricity transmission licence, the ASTI Re-opener (ASTIRt), which Ofgem proposes to modify to set the ECF allowance for SCD1.
The timing is driven by the 2030 offshore wind target. The British Energy Security Strategy set an ambition to connect up to 50 GW of offshore generation by 2030, and the ASTI framework was introduced in December 2022 to assess, fund and incentivise accelerated delivery of the strategic transmission projects that target depends on. Sea Link is on the critical path: without early funding NGET cannot place long-lead orders for HVDC converter stations, subsea cable and onshore civils in time to commission by the ASTI delivery window. The companion ECF decisions for the SHET portfolio and the wider NGET ASTI portfolio follow the same pattern, with consumers funding early-stage commitment so the project does not stall waiting for the full needs case to clear.
How to respond
The consultation closed on 22 August 2025. Ofgem published its decision on 19 November 2025, approving ECF for Sea Link and modifying Special Condition 3.41 of NGET's electricity transmission licence accordingly. The decision document, consultation responses and licence modification are all on the Ofgem page.
Responses had been directed to Amy Freund at MajorProjects.LTPD@ofgem.gov.uk. The main consultation document was the "Statutory consultation on National Grid's Sea Link Early Construction Funding (ECF) application and corresponding proposed modification to Special Condition 3.41 of NGET's electricity transmission licence" (PDF, 492.66 KB).
The consultation is now closed with decision. The live documents to read are the decision letter ("Sea Link: decision on Early Construction Funding and Modification to special conditions of the electricity transmission licence") and the licence modification notice for Special Condition 3.41. The published source text in front of us does not set out the specific options or numbered consultation questions, so the Options and Questions sections are omitted here; for the granular ECF allowance figures, gating conditions and the precise drafting of the modified SpC 3.41, the decision document and the licence modification PDF are the authoritative sources.
Source text
Sealink: Early Construction Funding consultation | Ofgem Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience. BETA This site is currently in BETA. Help us improve by giving us your feedback . Close alert: Sealink: Early Construction Funding consultation Publication type: Consultation Publication date: 24 July 2025 Last updated: 19 November 2025 Closed date: 22 August 2025 Status: Closed (with decision) Topic: Electricity transmission Subtopic: Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) Show all updates Print this page Related links Decision on accelerating onshore electricity transmission investment Decision to modify the special licence conditions in the electricity transmission licences: Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment Share the page Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Details of outcome This document confirms our decision to approve Early Construction Funding (ECF) for the Sea Link (NOA code SCD1) electricity transmission project. This decision is taken in line with National Grid Electricity Transmission’s (NGET) electricity transmission licence (the Licence), Special Condition (SpC) 3.41 ‘Accelerated strategic transmission investment Re-opener and Price Control Deliverable term (ASTIRt)’. Read the full outcome Sea Link: decision on Early Construction Funding and Modification to special conditions of the electricity transmission licence [PDF, 181.94KB] Sea Link: consultation responses [PDF, 9.30MB] Modification of the Special Condition (SpC) 3.41 of the electricity transmission licence held by National Grid Electricity Transmission Plc [PDF, 364.58KB] Background The British Energy Security Strategy set out the Government's ambition to connect up to 50GW of offshore generation to the electricity network by 2030. In December 2022 we introduced a new ASTI framework that will assess, fund and incentivise the accelerated delivery of large strategic transmission projects required to deliver on the Government's ambition. Original consultation This consultation sets out our Early Construction Funding assessment of the Sea Link (SCD1) project under the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) re-opener. Respond name Amy Freund Respond email MajorProjects.LTPD@ofgem.gov.uk Main document Statutory consultation on National Grid’s Sea Link Early Construction Funding (ECF) application and corresponding proposed modification to Special Condition 3.41 of NGET’s electricity transmission licence [PDF, 492.66KB] Print this page Related links Decision on accelerating onshore electricity transmission investment Decision to modify the special licence conditions in the electricity transmission licences: Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment Share the page Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn All updates 19 November 2025 Decision document, consultation responses and licence modification added Close