Statement on peat slip near Upper Kergord, Shetland

**Please note that the incident took place on a site where SSEN Transmission’s Kergord to Gremista Connection project is taking place, and is not associated with the Viking Energy Windfarm project as has been erroneously reported in some news outlets.**  

 

Thursday 9 May

A spokesperson for SSEN Transmission said:  “On Tuesday afternoon our site team reported a peat slip in an area of hillside between Upper Kergord and the B9075, where work on our Kergord to Gremista Connection Project is taking place.   All site teams are safe and there were no injuries, however as a safety precaution all site work has been stood down and the area secured until it has been fully assessed and made safe. 

 “A full assessment of the area will take place to understand the extent of any damage to the hillside.”

 

Further background

• There is no risk to any road users of the B9075 and the road remains open as normal. 
• SSEN Transmission’s Kergord to Gremista connection project involves creating a 22km connection between the new Gremista Grid Supply Point (GSP) and the Kergord Substation, which is currently under construction as part of the Shetland HVDC link, using a combination of overhead line and underground cabling. Once complete, the Kergord-Gremista link will provide a connection to Shetland’s local electricity distribution network, connecting the islands to the GB energy system for the first time and helping to secure Shetland’s future electricity supply.
• Read more about the project here:  https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/project-map/gremista-gsp-grid-supply-point-and-132kv-connection/