Public invited to share views on new Braco access road for clean energy project

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  • New haul road will be used to transport large electrical components for Cambushinnie substation

  • Feedback event to be held in Braco Village Hall on Monday 17 March, 3pm-7pm

Members of the public are invited to a feedback event over plans to construct a new access road near Braco which will be used to transport components for the new proposed Cambushinnie electrical substation.

The new haul road is proposed to run from the A822 south of Braco, crossing the Keir Burn and B8033, before continuing north-west through the fields towards Easter Feddal. The haul road will then connect to the existing private track leading towards Braco West substation.  The access road will be around 6.5m in width, including a new bridge over the Keir Burn, and around 1.2km long.

Once the project is complete, the road is intended to be left in place to allow for any future replacement components to be transported to the substation. 

The new 400 kilovolt (kV) electrical substation at Cambushinnie is proposed to be built as part of the wider Beauly-Denny upgrade project, which will see the existing Beauly-Denny overhead line upgraded to increase capacity along the line and allow more electricity to flow along the route.   Cambushinnie substation is one of two new substations required to be built along the overhead line to help manage the increased flow of power along the network. 

Transformers – large electrical components which can weigh around 260 tonnes – are required to be installed as part of the substation work, however, are unable to be transported through Braco village due to their size.  This means the team are looking to create a new access road to allow the transformers to be safely delivered to the new substation while also minimising disruption to the local community in Braco.

The public event will take place in Braco Village Hall on Monday 17 March between 3pm and 7pm, and anyone with an interest in the project is welcome to attend, share their views about the haul road and ask any questions about the proposals.     

The event is the second public event to talk place about the haul road, following a successful first consultation in November.   

Kevin Rooney, SSEN Transmission Project Manager, said: “We welcome anyone who is interested in finding out more about the proposed access road for our planned Cambushinnie substation to come and visit us in Braco later this month. 

“The haul road is required to allow us to safely move the large electrical components required in the substation build, while also minimising disruption to the local community and road users in Braco.     

“This is the second event we’ve held on the proposed new access road, and we look forward to welcoming views on our plans and discussing our proposals further. 

“All feedback from the event will be used to help shape our proposals as we move forward in the development process, so please do visit us later this month at Braco Village Hall or share your thoughts with us before the consultation period ends.”

The second feedback window for the proposed access road for Cambushinnie substation closes on 31 March 2025.  Details can be submitted online at  https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/cambushinnie. 

The Cambushinnie 400kV substation is part of the Beauly-Denny Upgrade Project, which is one of a series of major onshore and offshore projects that SSEN Transmission is taking forward through a £20bn investment to upgrade the transmission network across the north of Scotland. 

Known as the Pathway to 2030 programme, it will create and support thousands of jobs in the region, both at SSEN Transmission and through the wider supply chain, while delivering an anticipated £100m+ in community benefit funding for communities located close to new transmission infrastructure.  

Learn more about the Cambushinnie substation project here: https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/cambushinnie