Overview
Status: Construction Phase
About the Project
The Craig Murrail Substation Project comprises the construction of a new 275kV substation, which will connect into the recently completed 275kV overhead line between Inveraray and Crossaig.
A temporary overhead line diversion is required to enable the build of the new substation, and associated access, drainage, fencing and landscaping are included in the project plans. The project will support the export of renewable energy from the Argyll area.
Find Out More About Inveraray - Crossaig 275kV Overhead Line
Why is the Project Required?
Due to the projected increase in renewable energy generation in Argyll, a need has been identified for the upgrade and reinforcement of the electricity transmission network on the Argyll peninsula, to ensure security of electricity supply and support the transition to Net Zero.
The replacement Inveraray - Crossaig Overhead Line has been completed at a higher voltage of 275kV. As increased renewable generation requires connection to the electricity network, and the operating voltage is required to increase to 275kV, four 132kV substations along the route need replacing to accommodate this.
Find Out More About Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Substations
Community Engagement
Throughout the life of our projects, we aim to work positively with local communities and keep people informed about what we are doing. This is particularly important when we are developing a proposal and we want to understand what local people think about our plans.
We endeavour to take the time to discuss proposals with local community councils, encourage engagement from the wider community and listen to the feedback we receive.
We will do our best to answer any questions and address issues or concerns that are raised with us.
When our project progresses into construction, we will continue working closely with the local community to ensure that our work has as little impact on the lives of those living and working in the area and as many long term positive effects as possible.
How we’re embracing artificial intelligence (AI)
We intend to use AI to assist our experienced teams in the analysis of your feedback, so we can categorise key points raised more quickly. You can learn more about how we’re utilising AI on this dedicated web page.
Project Updates
Featured updates
Featured updates for this project
Project updates
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Cycle Trail Closure 21 April 2025
We would like make stakeholders aware of a closure to cycle trails at Achnabreac Forest due to our works.
As our contractors Balfour Beatty are commencing work in the immediate vicinity of the Firetower Mountainbike Trail at Achnabreac, to keep the public and our site teams safe, From 21 April 2025 all cycle trails will be closed Monday - Friday until further notice.
Walking tracks will be unaffected but please refer to the onsite notice boards that can be found around the car parks for updates as this may be subject to change. We will also look to provide any updates here as they become available and you can refer to Forestry & Land Scotland’s dedicated webpage for the area- Achnabreac | Forestry and Land Scotland.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these closures and encourage anyone who requires further information to contact the Community Liaison Manager.
Martha Smart
Community Liaison Manager
SSEN Transmission
1 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6AY
M: 07880998846 | E: Martha.E.Smart@sse.com
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We're here to lend a helping hand
We are committed to supporting the communities in the north of Scotland where we operate, both now and in the future. As part of our ongoing efforts to make a difference and have a positive impact on local communities, we are proud to offer volunteering days to local groups and charities, particularly in the areas that host our electricity infrastructure or where our proposed projects are located.
This month, we’re excited to announce the launch of our new Volunteering Webpage, designed to make it easier for local communities to request volunteering support from us. To request our help, simply complete the ‘Volunteering Nomination Form’ linked at the bottom of our new webpage. Please note, as our team works on a voluntary basis, it may take us some time to coordinate our people and match them with opportunities. We kindly ask for your patience as we work to keep up with volunteering demand.
Thank you for considering SSEN Transmission as a partner in your community efforts. Together, we can leave a positive, lasting legacy and help transform communities across the north of Scotland.
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Site Closure 2024
Works on site will pause for the 2024 festive period with the site closing from 20 December 2024 until 6 January 2025. Although the site will be closed for all construction workers during this period, security will remain in place. -
Project Update
The two temporary overhead line (OHL) diversion works have been completed alongside the required felling to allow the substation to be constructed safely and to ensure electricity supply to the network is maintained. When the substation is complete and energised, these two OHL diversion towers will be removed.
Additionally, a worker’s housing area has been secured at Kilmory Park Industrial estate with associated electricity and sewer works to commence end of October, early November 2024.
As part of these works, we are pleased to say we are commencing upgrading the Kilmory community path for all users and local residents with works due to start on 23 September 2024 and to last for a duration of approximately 2 weeks.
We hope that through developing this site and the connecting path that we will leave a positive legacy both for local residents and the future development of the industrial park.
Tree felling works for the substation and peat restoration areas have commenced. With site mobilisation due to go ahead October 2024.
The project working hours are as follows;
07.00hrs and 19.00hrs Mon to Friday (inclusive)
07.00hrs and 18.00hrs Saturday
And not at all on Sundays or Scottish Bank Holidays unless as otherwise may be agreed with Environmental Protection Officers in advance of the operations.
If you have any questions about this update or the project in general, please contact the Community Liaison Officer;
Martha Elizabeth Smart M: 07880998846
E: Martha.E.Smart@sse.com -
May CLG Meeting Minutes
May CLG Meeting Minutes
7 May 2024
The 1st combined Crossaig and Craig Murrail substations CLG meeting on 7 May 2024 was held via Microsoft Teams. Minutes from the meeting can now be downloaded from the project documentation section of this website. If you have any issues, concerns or comments you would like discussed at a CLG, please contact the Community Liaison Manager, Martha Smart.
Martha.e.smart@sse.com -
June CLG Meeting Minutes
The second combined Crossaig and Craig Murrail substations CLG meeting on 17 June was held via Microsoft Teams. Minutes from the meeting can now be downloaded from the project documentation section of this website. If you have any issues, concerns or comments you would like discussed at a CLG, please contact the Community Liaison Manager, Martha Smart. -
Meet the buyer event - thank you
On behalf our principal contractor Balfour Beatty, the SSEN Transmission project team would like to thank everyone who took the time to visit us at our public event event this week.
Over 30 businesses attended our meet the buyer event with others sending enquries via phone and email. This was really beneficial for us to understand all the local businesses that are available in the local area.
If anyone has any further questions regarding this event please email the community liaison manager for these projects.
Meet the Buyer Event
SSEN Transmission will soon begin construction on the Argyll and Kintyre 275kV substations.
As part of these projects and our ongoing commitment to ensure that where possible, opportunities are advertised locally in the first instance, we are welcoming local businesses to attend an informal drop-in meeting to engage with our principal contractors and to exchange details to discuss the possible opportunities for the local supply chain.
These projects have the potential to create local business and employment opportunities in the following fields: Accommodation, fencing, skip hire, catering, cleaning services, plant hire, general operations workers, groundworkers, electricians and more. We would encourage any relevant local businesses to attend these events and discuss what possible business opportunities there are with our principal contractors.
This drop in event will be held at the following date and location;
An Suidhe, Crarae, Craig Murrail substations:
Wednesday 24 January 2024, 2–6pm
Furnace Village Hall, Furnace,
Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8XN -
Argyll and Kintyre project - Final Needs Case consultation
The GB electricity regulator Ofgem has provisionally approved SSEN Transmission’s proposals to upgrade the electricity transmission network in Argyll and Kintyre.
In its minded-to approve consultation on SSEN Transmission’s Final Needs Case, Ofgem has recognised the clear need for the Argyll and Kintyre Reinforcement Strategy, which will secure future electricity supplies in the area and enable the connection of new renewable electricity generation in the region. It will support the connection of at least 970MW of new renewable electricity generation, enough to power more than 500,000 homes.
As well as supporting the transition to net zero emissions, the investment will also help secure the country’s future energy independence by removing the country’s dependence and price exposure to volatile, global wholesale gas markets, with the deployment of low carbon, affordable, renewable electricity generation.The project will also unlock hundreds of skilled jobs throughout the construction phase and provide a significant economic boost to local and national economies, all while playing a key role in supporting the transition to net zero emissions and helping secure the country’s future energy independence.
Ofgem’s minded-to decision and consultation on the Argyll and Kintyre Final Needs Case can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/argyll-and-kintyre-project-final-needs-case-consultation.
As a stakeholder led business SSEN Transmission would like to encourage all interested and relevant stakeholders to contribute to this important consultation before the closing date on 15th of September 2023. -
Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Substation Town and Country planning consent granted
We recently recieved town planning country planning consent for An Suidhe, Crarae, Craig Murrail and Crossaig North substations . We are currently still awaiting decision on our Section 37 applications for these projects from Scottish ministers. Once we receive notification of their outcome we will provide an update to public stakeholders and also publish this information and next steps on our project webpage. -
Craig Murrail Town and Country Planning Application submitted
A planning application has been submitted by Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc (operating and known as SSEN Transmission) for detailed planning permission under The Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 for the Erection of High Voltage Electricity Substation and Formation of Associated Access, Landscaping, Drainage and Means of Enclosure (the Craig Murrail Substation), approximately 2.5 km north east of Lochgilphead and 2.9 km south west of Loch Glashan, Argyll and Bute.
The Proposed substation forms part of SSEN Transmission’s Argyll and Kintyre Strategy and is required to manage the transportation of renewable energy generation from Argyll to the wider electricity network. The substation would connect into the existing 275 kV Overhead Line (OHL) from Inveraray to Crossaig. An Environmental Appraisal (EA) has been carried out as a non-statutory assessment to allow appropriate environmental management and mitigation measures to be identified.
The relating documents for this application can be found on the project documents section of this webpage.Written comments may be made by e-mail: planning.hq@argyll-bute.gov.uk or Argyll and Bute Council, Development Management, Kilmory Castle, Lochgilphead, Argyll, PA31 8RT.
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Craig Murrail Update to SuDS design, landscape mitigation, access track layout and noise assessment January 2023
The following chapters and annexes have been updated due to a redesign of the drainage system, landscape mitigation plan and access track layout at the proposed substation. In addition, the noise assessment has been updated to take account of revised noise emission data:
- Chapter 1 – Project description and Figure 1.1
- Chapter 2 – Project description and Figure 2.2
- Chapter 3 – Landscape and Visual Appraisal to take account of additional infrastructure
- Chapter 4 – Removal of reference to replanting on site
- Chapter 5 – Forestry to account for changes to felling and replanting (landscape mitigation)
- Chapter 8 – Update to project description and noise emission data for proposed plant
- Chapter 10 – Removal of reference to replanting on site
- Annex E – Landscape Mitigation Plan to account for changes to replanting
- Annex J – Forestry (Woodland Report) to account for changes to felling and replanting (landscape mitigation)
- Annex K – Drainage Impact Assessment to account for different SuDS system
- Annex O – Peat Management Plan to account for additional peat removal
- Annex P – Peat Landslide Hazard Risk Assessment with new track layout
- Annex S – Updated plant noise spectrum and modelling plots
Also attached are Figures 1a, 1b and 2 which have the updated limit of deviation (LOD) to match the text in Chapter 2 of the Environmental Appraisal.
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Craig Murrail substation Section 37 planning application
SSEN Transmission have submitted an application to the Scottish Ministers for consent under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 for construction of two temporary steel towers to support the temporary realignment of 668m of the existing 275kV Inveraray to Crossaig overhead line between OS Grid Ref NR8780091128 and OS Grid Ref NR8758790820 during construction of the proposed Craig Murrail substation for a period of no more than 3 years.
Following construction, the overhead line will be realigned to its existing alignment and connected into the new substation via downleads, and the temporary towers will be removed.
The proposed development is located approximately 2.5 km northeast of Lochgilphead and 2.9 km south west of Loch Glashan in the Argyll and Bute Local Authority Area.
Any representations on the application may be submitted to Scottish Ministers via the Energy Consents Unit website at www.energyconsents.scot using reference ECU00004621. All representations should be made such that they are received by Scottish Ministers not later than 12th December 2022 although Scottish Ministers may consider representations received after this date. As a result of a statutory objection from the relevant planning authority, or where Scottish Ministers decide to exercise their discretion to do so, Scottish Ministers can also cause a Public Inquiry (PI) to be held.
Should you wish to view the documents contained within our Section 37 application in full, these are available within the project documents section of this webpage. -
Argyll and Bute Information Sharing Webinar 2022
Please click to view our 2022 Argyll and Bute regional webinar where some of the SSEN team have given an overview of ongoing and upcoming projects across the area. -
Submission of our Initial Needs Case for the Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Strategy
We have submitted to the energy regulator, Ofgem, robust proposals to reinforce the Argyll transmission network from 132kV to 275kV operation. At an estimated cost of around £400m, this investment is being taken forward as part of the SSE Group’s Net Zero Acceleration Programme, which will see £12.5bn invested in the five years to 2026, or £7m every day. SSEN Transmission alone expects to invest around £4bn over this period as it delivers a network for net zero emissions. The Argyll 275kV strategy is required to support the connection of several new renewable electricity generation schemes across Argyll and to transport that power to areas of demand across Scotland and beyond. It will support the connection of at least 560MW of new renewable electricity generation, enough to power more than 500,000 homes. -
Pre- Application Consultation Closed
Thank you to those who participated in our Winter 2021 online pre-application consultation and provided feedback on our proposals for the Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Substations project. Our consultation period closed on 10th January and all feedback received will be collated, reviewed and included in the Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) Report which will accompany the Planning Applications submission to Argyll and Bute Council in Spring 2022. As part of our consultation we held a webinar on 14th December 2021, inviting statutory consultees, community council members and local elected members to discuss our proposals ahead of our planning application process. Please see a recording of the webinar adjacent for more information. -
Argyll and Bute Information Sharing Webinar
On Wednesday 17th March 2021, SSEN Transmission hosted an Argyll and Bute Information Sharing Webinar, to provide local stakeholders with an interest in future electricity network plans for Argyll and Bute the chance to join us to hear about our stakeholder-led plans for the future and receive an update on the current construction and operation activities in the region. For those who were unable to attend, we have uploaded a recording of the session which you can view by clicking on the adjacent video.
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