SSEN Transmission’s £1bn Caithness-Moray HVDC link was officially completed on 10 December.
The link has been operational since January and all major works associated with the project were completed in the summer. The 113km subsea link allows the efficient transfer of up to 1,200MW of clean renewable electricity from Spittal substation in Caithness to areas of demand in central Scotland and beyond. The link also has the capacity to support the proposed transmission links connecting Orkney and Shetland.
Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, Paul Wheelhouse, who marked the official completion with a visit to Blackhillock substation in Moray on 10 December, said: “Today marks a major milestone in our plans to evolve Scotland’s energy infrastructure to adapt to the growing demand for renewable energy as a route to decarbonisation of our power, transport and heating systems. Not only that, but the new Caithness-Moray link, which uses efficient HVDC technology, strengthens the security of our electricity system, and connects our huge renewable resources with new demand and markets. In such a way, this new HVDC link will play a key role in achieving Scotland’s vital, but challenging greenhouse gas emissions targets and helps us to move to net zero emissions across other areas of our economy, as we respond to the global climate emergency.”
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