Orkney Link Project: Local community invited to attend cable drop-in event in Stromness

Event to take place in Stromness Town Hall, Tuesday 18 March, 2pm-6pm

 

Members of the local community are invited to attend a drop-in event in Stromness to learn more about the ongoing construction of the underground land cables on the Orkney-Caithness Link project. 

The next phase of work, which began this month, involves construction of the new land cable stone platform from where the subsea cable will come ashore at Warebeth, before the cable will then be installed underground to the new substation being constructed at Finstown, a distance of around 14km.  

New access roads will also be built to help facilitate the next phase of the project. Efforts will be made to keep any impact to a minimum wherever possible. 

To help share more details about the next phase of work, members of SSEN Transmission’s cable team will be hosting a drop-in session in Stromness where members of the public can learn more about the project and ask any questions about the land cable. 

The event will be held in Stromness Town Hall on Tuesday 18 March, 2pm-6pm, and anyone with an interest in the project is welcome to attend. 

Jeni Herbert, SSEN Transmission’s Community Liaison Manager, said: 

“As we move to build the stone platform for where the cable will make landfall at Warebeth, install the new access road from Outertown Road as well as upgrade Clook Road, we’ll see an increase in HGVs delivering materials to the project.

“We want to make the local community aware of these increased journeys from HGVs, and advise we’ll do everything we can to minimise their impact during the month while these essential deliveries from Finstown Quarry take place.

“We’re inviting members of the community along to a drop-in information session in Stromness next week where they can meet our cable project team, learn more about the next phase of work in the area, as well as answer any question they may have about the underground land cables. 

“As ever we thank the local community for their patience and will endeavour to keep them informed as this phase of the Orkney Link Project progresses.”

The Orkney Link Project involves building a new high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) system between Finstown in Orkney to Dounreay in Caithness on the Scottish mainland.  The system will be cable of transmitting 220MW of power, linking Orkney to the main transmission electricity grid for the first time.  Once complete, the link will allow two-way flow of electricity from the Orkney Isles, helping to unlock the island’s potential as a renewable energy powerhouse, while also ensuring the island’s energy security. 

The link involves building new substations at Finstown in Orkney and Dounreay in Caithness, with 53km of subsea cable and around 14km of underground cable from the landfall point in Warebeth to Finstown. 

Learn more about the project here: https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/project-map/orkney/