Orkney Link team to host Community Information Event

LT17-orkney-consultation-photo.jpg

  • Event to take place on Thursday 30 January, 6.45pm – 8pm, Firth Community Hall, Finstown

 

Members of the community are invited to attend a public meeting held by SSEN Transmission to learn more about the Orkney-Caithness Link Project.

With construction work now underway at the new Finstown Substation and the underground cable route, the project team are hosting a community Q&A meeting to provide a short presentation and project update, share what work is still to come, and answer any questions from the local community. 

The community meeting will be held in Firth Community Hall, Finstown on Thursday 30 January from 6.45pm – 8pm, and anyone wishing to learn more about the project is welcome to attend.

The team will be on hand to cover any questions about the project. 

The event has been organised following discussion with members of the project’s Community Liaison Group (CLG), who have been meeting regularly to share ideas and discuss ways to collaborate now that the Orkney Link Project is underway.

Orkney-Caithness Link project will see the installation of a new high voltage alternating current (HVAC) subsea cable between Orkney and the Scottish mainland, enabling the connection of up to 220MW of new renewable electricity to the national grid, providing another boost to delivering the UK’s ambitious energy security and clean power targets.

The link will consist of a new substation at Finstown in Orkney, along with around 14km of underground cable to where it makes landfall at Warebeth, then 53km of subsea cable, with around one km of underground cable in Dounreay which will connect into a new substation at Dounreay in Caithness where connection will be made to the GB electricity transmission network.

Joining the community information event will be team members from SSEN Distribution, the sister business of SSEN Transmission, who are responsible for the distribution network in Orkney – the wooden poles, underground cables and substations which deliver the power to Orkney’s homes and businesses.   Their team will be on hand to answer any questions relating to plans for the distribution network. 

While plans continue to be developed for the onshore infrastructure required to connect and transport Orkney renewable generators to Finstown Substation, SSEN Distribution has explained that this work will also have benefits for customers across the wider Orkney network, making their supplies more robust, resilient and reducing the potential for power cuts.

Community Liaison Manager for the Orkney Link Project, Jeni Herbert, said:

“Now that we’ve broken ground at Finstown Substation and work is underway, we’re really keen to share an update with the community as to our progress so far, as well as provide an opportunity for the community to ask our project team any questions.

“We’re also pleased to be joined by colleagues from SSEN Distribution who will share an update on some of their future plans for onshore connections between the distribution and transmission network in Orkney.

“We are pleased to have established a Community Liaison Group to share updates on the project, and are now looking forward to hosting a community Q&A meeting later this month to share more information about the project with the wider community.  We look forward to welcoming along anyone who is interested in learning more about the project.”

To learn more about the Orkney Link Project please visit: https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/project-map/orkney/