Completion of the £1 billion Western HVDC link, a subsea electricity cable linking Hunterston in Scotland with Deeside in North Wales, has been delayed until 2017/18 because of cable manufacturing problems.

As a result of the delay, Ofgem has postponed the allowances that National Grid and Scottish Power will receive for building the cable. The decision came as part of Ofgem’s mid-period review of the 2013-2021 gas distribution, gas transmission and electricity transmission price controls.