SSEN progresses on subsea cable

Specialist vessel Seawell has played a major role in the Shetland HVDC link project. Photo: Calum Fraser Photography.

Milestones are being reached in the development of the subsea cable due to run from Shetland to the mainland.

Power giant SSEN Transmission says teams of workers are preparing to begin work on the first installations of the £660 million project this summer.

It follows the completion of the first phase of “boulder relocating work” which is taking place along the 260km route from Shetland to Noss Head in Caithness.

Before then, a so-called Uxo survey was carried out, to ensure there were no unexploded ordnance (Uxos) on the cable route.

SSEN says that, while no Uxos were found, the survey did locate various items such as scrap metal and other debris, which were removed.

The company has also pointed to three months of horizontal directional drilling work to the south of Noss Head Lighthouse.

Once completed, the cable will connect Shetland to the main energy system for the first time, with the aim of supporting Shetland’s future security of supply.

Lead project manager Chris Finnigan said: “We’ve made some really excellent progress in recent months with regards to the Shetland HVDC link which allows us to move forwards on connecting Shetland to the mainland and opening up a clean-energy corridor for transporting electricity to and from the islands.”

The cable is expected to be finished on time by 2024.