Good progress on the Beauly to Keith network upgrade

SSEN Transmission teams are continuing to make good progress on the £70m project to upgrade the existing overhead network between Beauly and Keith, with the second phase of work now under way between Nairn and Elgin.

Since the 18-month project started in Spring last year, SSEN Transmission’s teams have installed over 45km of new overhead line, replacing the original which was installed in 1955 and is now approaching the end of its scheduled working lifespan.

In addition to replacing the actual overhead line conductor, specialist teams are also carrying out inspections and refurbishment of 363 towers along the 109km route.

Once complete, the newly conductored line  and refurbished towers will not only strengthen the infrastructure for existing customers across northern Scotland, the upgrade will also ensure the network is able to meet the increasing demands from renewable generators looking to connect to the GB transmission system.

The current phase of the project will see work continue between Nairn and Elgin, where teams will replace 32km of line and work on 122 towers.

Mike Cowie, SSEN Transmission’s Project Manager, said: 

"The excellent progress we are making on this project is testament to the great teamwork across the sites; this winter just past has provided us with challenges, but with everyone’s flexibility and determination to deliver on time, we were able to re-schedule certain elements of the work without any negative impact on the overall project.

"As a responsible developer we want to go about our work with the minimum amount of disruption. While a lot of our work on this project is on private land, there are occasions when the route crosses public roads, which means we have to use traffic management for everyone’s safety.  We recognise that this can sometimes cause disruption to people’s daily routines and I’d like to thank the local communities for their patience as our teams progress along the route."

To watch a short video of overhead line being installed near Elgin, please click on the image above.