Bam to deliver EGL3 converter station: design and delivery notes for engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

First reported on New Civil Engineer
30 Second Briefing
National Grid has appointed Bam UK & Ireland to deliver the southern converter station for the proposed Eastern Green Link 3 (EGL3), described as the UK’s largest electricity transmission scheme. EGL3 is planned as a high-voltage link to move large volumes of power from renewable generation in Scotland to demand centres in England, requiring major civil works for the converter station foundations, buildings and high-voltage equipment compounds. The appointment signals early mobilisation for detailed design, grid interface planning and construction sequencing on this critical node in the HVDC corridor.
Technical Brief
- Converter station delivery will require coordination with multiple OEM packages for HVDC valves, transformers and switchgear.
- Site development is expected to include heavy foundations, large equipment halls and external high-voltage compounds.
- Programme phasing must align with offshore/onshore cable installation to avoid energisation delays on the HVDC corridor.
Our Take
The converter station award to Bam UK & Ireland comes as National Grid is also investing up to £400M to extend the life of the 2GW IFA subsea interconnector, suggesting a dual strategy of sweating existing HVDC assets while adding new multi‑GW corridors like EGL3.
With National Grid simultaneously procuring tunnelling works under the Thames and creating a qualified supplier marketplace for estate construction, contractors landing roles on EGL3 are likely to see follow‑on opportunities across a wider UK transmission upgrade pipeline rather than a one‑off project win.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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