National Grid Electricity Transmission PLC and Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission PLC (the "Employers") are jointly developing a HVDC link between the Netherton Hub, west of Peterhead, Scotland and Norfolk, England (the "HVDC Link"). This notice concerns the procurement and award of contract(s) for:

• Design, supply, manufacture, install, test and commission 525kV HVDC submarine and underground cable system, including but not limited to:

• extruded cable systems at along with all associated cable accessories

• HVDC submarine cable supply and complete installation including lay, jointing and burial. The submarine route length is expected to be in the range of 540 to 580km.

• HVDC onshore underground cable system supply, installation and associated civil engineering works as required that will link the Peterhead site in Scotland to the adjacent coast. The onshore route length of this element is approximately 10 km.

• AC cable circa 1km at Peterhead site in Scotland, 3-10km at Norfolk site.

• There is an option that it will be routed through a DCSS (DC Switching Station) also to be located within the Netherton Hub

• Design, supply but not install the cable that is to be routed onshore between the Lincolnshire coast and Norfolk, England. The onshore route length of this element is expected to be in the range of 90 to 135km. This cable will be installed onshore by others.

• Jointing of the onshore cable between Lincolnshire and Norfolk, the provision of installation instructions for use by the installation contractor and technical supervision of the onshore cable installation.

• Provision of cable spares and storage facilities for cable spares.

• Design, engineer, prepare, procure and install HDD (Horizontal Direct Drilling) ducts as required at the landfalls in both Scotland and England.

• Front-end engineering design services, in relation to any or all of the aforementioned scope.

• The Employers will require the Preferred Bidder to enter a Long-Term Service Agreement (LTSA) for the cable systems, either as part of the main contract or a standalone contract. This may be structured as an agreement with the Employers either acting jointly or as a Joint Venture, or as separate LTSAs with each Employer with regard to separate sections of the cable.

Design, supply, manufacture, install, test and commission of 525kV HVDC submarine and underground cable system and HVDC onshore underground cable system supply, installation and associated civil engineering works as required that will link the Netherton Hub near Peterhead in Scotland to the adjacent coast. Design, supply but not install the cable that is to be routed onshore between the Lincolnshire coast and Norfolk, England.

The scope of this Procurement includes the provision of two HVDC cable poles (underground and submarine cable) utilising 525kV extruded cable systems. L. Proposed cable systems (cables and accessories, including factory joints and transition joints) shall be type tested in accordance with Cigre Electra 189 and 171 before the award of the contract.

With option of DCSS there would be the requirement for a three cable solution between the DCSS and local convertor (circa 1km).

The cable shall be capable of delivering 2GW.

The Employers reserve the right to take up to a maximum of four Suppliers through the prequalification process and into the tender process.

Applicants are advised that, for the purpose of the contracts, the Employers may potentially enter into joint venture arrangements prior to awarding any contract from this activity. If this approach were to be adopted and, depending on the nature of the joint venture arrangements, the successful applicant(s) may be required to enter into a contract with a new JV entity relating to the execution of the works and services being procured.

The Employers are considering the potential to award early works.