Ofgem greenlights 220-MW Orkney subsea power transmission link

UK energy regulator Ofgem on Friday said it has granted final approval for the establishment of an up to 220-MW high-voltage subsea transmission line to connect the Orkney Islands with the Scottish mainland.

The project was put forward by SSEN Transmission, a unit of British utility SSE (LON:SSE). The proposal, touted by Ofgem as a “long-awaited and much-needed” plan, envisages the construction of a new substation at Finstown in Orkney and a 57-km-long subsea cable link to a new substation at Dounreay in Caithness.

According to the regulator’s statement, all planning consents for the scheme have been secured for the point-to-point connection and work is ongoing to plan the on-island infrastructure required to connect renewable power capacity to the Finstown facility. Under the plan, after reaching that point, the renewable electricity will be transported to demand centres in northern Scotland and beyond.

Public consultation on the potential onshore infrastructure requirements will be held late in the summer or early in the autumn.

The link, estimated to cost GBP 400 million (USD 523.6m/EUR 465.7m), is expected to be completed by 2027/2028, Reuters reports.

(GBP 1.0 = USD 1.309/EUR 1.164)

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