THE first part of a £660 million, undersea, high voltage cable which could help unlock Shetland’s future as one of the country’s clean energy powerhouses has made landfall on the mainland.
The 162-mile long Shetland high voltage direct current link cable will connect the islands to the national grid for the first time when it is completed in 2024.
Cable-laying vessel NKT Victoria was tasked with laying the first 62 miles of high voltage wire, from Noss Head, near Wick in Caithness, out to a point east of the Orkney Isles.
Chris Finnigan, SSEN Transmission’s lead project manager, said it had been a “complex operation” and the latest hurdle passed by engineers was “another significant leap forward”.
The next stage in the multi-million project will take place in the spring, when another 35 miles of cable will be installed from Weisdale Voe on Shetland heading south into the North Sea.
And, later in 2023, workers will then connect the two with a third stretch of cable to complete the 162-mile long link.
SSEN Transmission said the project will help unlock the islands’ potential for future renewable energy generation.
To complete the first phase of the project, it took the work of teams on land and at sea.
Specialist underwater jet trenchers were used to help place the cable, alongside drivers and crews onshore at Noss Head to pull in the cable through previously drilled ducts.
Finnigan described the technology being used in the cable as one which “provides the most efficient and reliable means of transmitting large amounts of power over long distances via subsea”.
“To reach this stage follows on from years of design work to ensure the cable has robust protection against any damage, including where possible burying the cable in the seabed and installing rock protection where trenching cannot be achieved.
“Our focus is now on completing the rock placement scope and planning for next year’s subsea cable installation campaigns.”
