Caithness consultation events to seek feedback on Spittal to Peterhead subsea link
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Consultation events are to take place in Spittal, Wick and Watten to gather feedback on plans for an undersea electricity cable linking Caithness with the Aberdeenshire coast.
The sessions will focus on subsea cable landfall locations, onshore cable corridors and potential subsea cable corridors for SSEN Transmission's proposed Spittal to Peterhead high voltage direct current (HVDC) scheme.
The consultation events are being held in Spittal village hall on Tuesday, May 30, the Norseman Hotel in Wick on Wednesday, May 31, and Watten village hall on Thursday, June 1, from 2pm to 7pm in each case.
A mailshot to local residents states that these are "drop-in sessions, open to all members of the public and interested parties".
The 2GW Spittal/Peterhead scheme is part of a Pathway to 2030 programme.
Last year, National Grid set out how the transmission network needs to develop to accommodate the growth in renewable electricity across Britain. The projects identified within Pathway to 2030 have been identified as "critical" to delivering UK and Scottish government targets.
SSEN Transmission says that for the north of Scotland more than £7 billion of investment is needed in the transmission network to achieve the 2030 targets "and help the country on its pathway to net-zero and greater energy independence".
The Spittal/Peterhead proposal will involve new converter stations at both locations and an HVDC link consisting of some 220km of subsea cable.
A spokesperson for SSEN Transmission said: “We’re committed to delivering a network in the north of Scotland that will enable more home-grown low-carbon power and ultimately help to meet the Scottish and UK governments’ ambitious climate change targets. That includes the development of a new high voltage direct current power line between Spittal and Peterhead.
“It’s incredibly important to us that members of the communities impacted by this work have their say, and we would like to invite anyone who wants to find out more about the project, or give us their thoughts about the proposals, to attend one of our consultation events in Spittal, Wick or Watten to meet the project team.”
