By Jaime Llinares Taboada

SSE PLC, National Grid PLC and Iberdrola SA's subsidiary ScottishPower said Monday that they are partnering to build an underwater power highway from Scotland to northeast England with a capacity of up to 4 gigawatts.

The utilities said the multi-billion pound project, called Eastern Link, will transport renewable power from east Scotland's offshore wind hub across 440 kilometers down to Selby and Hawthorn Point in England.

"This project will help transport enough renewable electricity for around 4.5 million homes across the U.K. and will become part of the backbone of the U.K.'s energy system," National Grid's U.K. Executive Director Nicola Shaw said.

The east coast of Scotland is already home to almost 1 gigawatt of operational offshore wind farms, with a further 4.4 gigawatts in the pipeline and up to 10 gigawatts predicted, the companies said.

Construction works are expected to start in 2024.

Write to Jaime Llinares Taboada at jaime.llinares@wsj.com; @JaimeLlinaresT

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

11-16-20 0823ET