Eastern Green Link 2 to Use 100% Recycled Copper in High-Voltage Cables

July 13, 2026

The Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) project in the UK is setting a new benchmark for sustainable high-voltage cable infrastructure through the use of 100% recycled copper. Prysmian, together with La Farga Yourcoppersolutions, will use approximately 10,000 tonnes of La Farga GENIUS recycled copper in the project’s high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables.

EGL2 is a 505-kilometre, 2 GW electricity transmission project connecting Peterhead in northeast Scotland with Drax in North Yorkshire, England. The project is being delivered as a joint venture between National Grid Electricity Transmission and SSEN Transmission, with Prysmian responsible for manufacturing and installing the cable system. Once operational, the link is designed to transport enough electricity to supply around two million homes.

100% recycled copper for HVDC cables

The project will become the first HVDC cable project to use 100% recycled copper supported by an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), according to the project partners. The EPD provides physical traceability of the recycled copper used in the cables, distinguishing the approach from a mass-balance model in which recycled content is accounted for without necessarily being physically identifiable in the supplied material.

The initiative reflects the growing importance of copper in global electrification. As investment in power grids, renewable energy and electrical infrastructure increases, copper remains a critical conductor material for large-scale transmission projects. Prysmian has also identified greater use of recycled materials as part of its broader sustainability strategy. Its 2025 reporting showed recycled content in PE jackets and copper reaching 21.3%.

Nearly 56,675 tonnes of CO₂e emissions expected to be avoided

The use of recycled copper is expected to provide measurable environmental benefits. According to EGL2 and its project partners, approximately 10,000 tonnes of recycled copper will help avoid nearly 56,675 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions compared with conventional primary copper. The approach is also estimated to reduce the carbon footprint of Prysmian’s scope of activities within the project by approximately 13%.

The project estimates that the avoided emissions are equivalent to taking roughly 39,900 average UK cars off the road for one year, or the annual emissions associated with approximately 17,700 homes in East Riding of Yorkshire.

The recycled-copper initiative was enabled by the Sustainability Innovation Fund (SIF) awarded to the EGL2 project by Ofgem. It demonstrates how recycled materials can be incorporated into major transmission infrastructure while maintaining the technical requirements of high-voltage cable systems.

A new direction for sustainable cable manufacturing

The EGL2 project highlights a broader shift in the cable industry toward circular materials, physical traceability and lower-carbon manufacturing. By integrating recycled copper directly into a large-scale HVDC cable project, Prysmian and La Farga are demonstrating how material sustainability can be incorporated into critical electricity infrastructure without changing its fundamental transmission role.

As grid expansion accelerates across Europe, the EGL2 approach could provide a reference point for future high-voltage cable projects seeking to reduce the environmental footprint of copper-intensive infrastructure.

Sources:

Eastern Green Link 2 — “Eastern Green Link 2 sets the standard for recycled copper in high voltage cables”  

Prysmian

Transformer Magazine — “Prysmian uses 100% recycled copper for EGL2”  

National Grid — EGL2 recycled copper announcement