The Orkney-Caithness Link project, an estimated capital investment of more than £900m, will see the installation of a new high voltage alternating current (HVAC) subsea cable between Orkney and the Scottish mainland, enabling the connection of up to 220MW of new renewable electricity to the national grid, providing another boost to delivering the UK's ambitious energy security and net zero targets.
The link will consist of a new substation at Finstown in Orkney, along with around 14km of underground cable to where it makes landfall at Warebeth, then 53km of subsea cable, which will connect into a new substation at Dounreay in Caithness where connection will be made to the GB electricity transmission network.
Over the last few weeks, contracts have been awarded to the key supply chain partners that will help in the delivery of this project. The substations will be constructed by the Siemens Energy and BAM Joint Venture (JV) who bring significant experience of delivering transmission substations on our network, including in island environments. RJ McLeod will install the underground cable ducting, including horizontal direction drilling to minimise impact at landfalls and water courses. Nexans will be manufacturing the cable in Halden, Norway, and will install the 14km land and 53km subsea cable system between the substations.
Deputy Project Director at SSEN Transmission, Ian Clark, said: "We're delighted to have awarded these crucial contracts to the Siemens Energy and BAM JV, Nexans and RJ McLeod for the delivery of the Orkney-Caithness Link project. All three have a strong track-record of project delivery and we're looking forward to continuing our relationship with them.
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"Early development and initial public consultation on this project started in 2017 and reaching this point – where we're ready for construction to begin – is a testament to the hard work by the entire team at SSEN Transmission and our supply chain partners.
"We're now ready to get started with construction work at each end of the link in Finstown and Dounreay and will keep the communities informed as we make progress."
As the project moves into mobilisation, at SSEN Transmission we're asking for locals from neighbouring communities to be part of our Community Liaison Group (CLG). The CLG helps us to form a close link with the community and is vital for information sharing and two-way engagement between the project team and the community.
Acknowledging the award of the contract, RJ McLeod's North Director, Sandy Osborne, said: "We are very pleased to be able to continue working with SSEN Transmission through the award of this major grid connection project. This follows the successful delivery of various energy projects, such as substations dating back around 20 years, as well as other energy sector projects for the wider SSE Group across the Highlands and Islands including large wind farms such as Viking on Shetland.
"These works will provide us with the opportunity to deliver a boost to the local economy, not only in terms of employment with a local highland contractor, but also in terms of the extensive and valuable local supply chain of goods and services. An integral part of the project will be community and landowner liaison and protection of the environment, and we will follow and build on the good practices deployed and refined on our previous Highland and Island projects."
Mark Pilling, Vice President of Grid Solutions Europe at Siemens Energy, said: "We're pleased to be part of this project which helps unlock the potential of renewable energy in Scotland's islands. I'm proud that substations and grid stabilisation technology from Siemens Energy will connect 220MW of clean energy to the grid, enough to power 250,000 homes. This project marks the continuation of a fantastic relationship with our Joint Venture Partner BAM, and our customer SSEN Transmission."
Huw Jones, Executive Director, BAM Nuttall said: "We're delighted to get the green light for this vital upgrade to the UK's energy network and to be working with our longstanding partner Siemens Energy to deliver sustainable energy infrastructure for SSEN Transmission. This project marks another important step in the journey to decarbonise our electricity grid, and we are looking forward to working alongside our partners to create a lasting legacy for the local community via the delivery of this critical infrastructure."
Pascal Radue, Executive Vice President of Nexans' Generation and Transmission Business Group: "We are excited to collaborate with SSEN Transmission on this critical step toward ensuring the reliable exchange of energy between the Orkney Islands and the UK mainland. Transmission links are a pivotal piece of the sustainable energy puzzle, delivering electricity from regions with the greatest supply to those with the greatest demand."
With the supply chain in place, the Orkney-Caithness connection project now moves into its construction phase, with full energisation anticipated in 2028.
