Orkney power link will connect to substation at Dounreay after Ofgem go-ahead
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The way has been cleared for the installation of a subsea electricity transmission link between Orkney and the mainland that will connect to a new substation at Dounreay.
Provisional approval for the project by the energy regulator Ofgem was described by SSEN Transmission as "long awaited and much needed".
The company says the move will unlock huge volumes of low-carbon power by taking renewable electricity from the islands, supporting net-zero and energy security targets.
SSEN Transmission said: "Following significant growth in small-scale renewable electricity generation in Orkney, the local electricity network has long been at full capacity and no new electricity generation can connect without significant reinforcements."
In March 2018, the company submitted investment plans to Ofgem to create a new subsea transmission link to provide the additional capacity needed to meet the demand of Orkney renewable developers. In September 2019, Ofgem set a series of conditions that Orkney renewable developers had to satisfy prior to the regulator approving the investment case.
Following the consent of Faray wind farm in December 2022, those conditions have now largely been met. Ofgem's decision follows its approval of a Western Isles link and work to connect Shetland.
The plans will enable the connection of up to 220MW of new renewable electricity and consist of a new substation at Finstown in Orkney and around 57km of subsea cable, connecting to a Dounreay substation.
The company says all planning consents are in place for the point-to-point connection.
Rob McDonald, managing director of SSEN Transmission, said: “Scotland’s island groups are home to some of the world’s greatest resources of renewable energy and we have long supported the need to provide transmission connections to help unlock their abundant potential.
“We are delighted Ofgem has provisionally approved our well-advanced plans for a new transmission link to Orkney, which is a hugely significant milestone in finally unlocking Orkney’s vast renewable potential and is the final piece in the jigsaw in connecting Scotland’s three main island groups.
“We would like to thank Ofgem for its constructive engagement over recent weeks and months and we now look forward to working with all stakeholders to deliver this long-awaited and much-needed investment. It will deliver significant local and national socio-economic benefits, as well as supporting 2030 government targets, our future energy security and a pathway to net-zero emissions.”
