County Durham

Overview of planned onshore works:

10 km of underground onshore cables will run from the landfall point just north of Seaham, to a new converter station and substation at Hawthorn Pit, County Durham, between the villages of Murton and South Hetton.

  • The construction of a new converter station and new substation next to our existing site at Hawthorn Pit (between Murton and South Hetton) 
  • The installation of underground cables to connect the new converter station and the new substation 
  • Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) activities from land to sea
  • The installation of underground cables connecting the converter station with the landfall point just north of Seaham 
  • Temporary works, such as site welfare compounds and access roads to facilitate the construction and installation of the above

Upcoming piling activities at Murton and Hawthorn Pit – Winter/Spring 2026

From the week commencing Monday 2 February 2026, we will begin piling activities in preparation for the construction of our new converter station and substation sites, located between Murton and South Hetton.

Piling is a construction method used to create strong foundations for large structures like converter stations and substations. It involves driving long steel or concrete piles deep into the ground. These piles provide the stability and support needed for heavy equipment and buildings.

The piling works are expected to take place over a period of approximately sixteen weeks, Monday to Friday between the hours of 7:30am and 6:30pm.

Please see a map below showing the location of this work.

Map of works to take place in england around the Hawthorn Pit Substation and Muton Converter Station.

If you have any questions or concerns about this work, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Community Relations Team:

Email: contact@easterngreenlink1.co.uk

Freephone: 0808 196 8405 (line open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday).