SSEN Transmission has finalised contracts for the construction of the Orkney-Caithness 220kV subsea link offshore Scotland.
This represents a significant development in the power sector, with work scheduled to begin in September 2024. The project aims to enhance connectivity for renewable energy.
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The Orkney-Caithness link, representing a £900m ($1.1bn) investment, is designed to facilitate the integration of up to 220MW of new renewable electricity into the national grid.
It includes a new high voltage alternating current (HVAC) subsea cable between Orkney and the Scottish mainland.
The construction will feature a new substation at Finstown on Orkney, 14km of underground cabling to Warebeth and a 53km subsea line to a new substation at Dounreay in Caithness.
This infrastructure will connect Orkney’s renewable energy sources to the GB electricity transmission network.
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By GlobalDataSiemens Energy and BAM have been tasked with constructing the substations.
RJ McLeod has been assigned the job of installing the underground cable ducting. The company will employ horizontal direction drilling techniques to minimise environmental impact, particularly at landfalls and watercourses.
Nexans will produce the cable in Halden, Norway and install the 14km onshore and 53km offshore sections of the system.
Deputy project director at SSEN Transmission Ian Clark stated: “We are delighted to have awarded these crucial contracts to the Siemens Energy and BAM JV [joint venture], Nexans and RJ McLeod for the delivery of the Orkney-Caithness link project.
“All three have a strong track record of project delivery and we’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with them.
“Early development and initial public consultation on this project started in 2017 and reaching this point – where we’re ready for construction to begin – is a testament to the hard work by the entire team at SSEN Transmission and our supply chain partners.
“We are now ready to get started with construction work at each end of the link in Finstown and Dounreay and will keep the communities informed as we make progress.”
Siemens Energy Europe grid solutions vice-president Mark Pilling stated: “I am proud that substations and grid stabilisation technology from Siemens Energy will connect 220MW of clean energy to the grid, enough to power 250,000 homes.
“This project marks the continuation of a fantastic relationship with our joint venture partner BAM, and our customer SSEN Transmission.”
In August 2024, SSEN Transmission received approval from Scottish ministers for the upgrade of its Creag Dhubh-Dalmally overhead line, raising its capacity from 132kV to 275kV across Argyll and Kintyre.
