Switching station at Noss Head marks 'another major milestone' as construction of building is complete

The construction of the building for the Noss Head Switching Station has been completed, marking "another major milestone" for the project.

The new switching station will serve as a key component in the 260 kilometre subsea cable between Shetland and the mainland, connecting the island to the main national grid for the first time.

The 125 metre-long building will house the electrical components used in the Shetland HVDC link, which will allow the flow of electricity to be managed between three underground circuits – one from a converter station at Spittal in Caithness, one from a converter station at Kergord in Shetland and one to a converter station at Blackhillock in Moray. A spare connection bay has also been installed for future circuit connections.

The system will connect to the existing HVDC system between Caithness and Moray, making use of capacity available in the subsea cable to allow onward connection to the existing onshore transmission network in Moray and beyond with minimum new infrastructure.

With the main construction of the building complete, Hitachi Energy has now begun work to install its specialist equipment within the switching hall.

The commissioning process where all subsystems will be integrated and tested is under way and is expected to continue into early next year.

Landscaping bunds have been constructed around the building to help screen the development and lessen its visual impact. Over 20,000 native species of trees and shrubs have been planted on and around these areas, with a further 15,000 to be planted once the site is cleared and office areas removed. Native wildflowers have also been seeded around the site to help encourage biodiversity by attracting insect and bird species.

Martin Baker, SSEN transmission project manager, said: "We’re really pleased that construction of the Noss Head Switching Station building is complete, marking another major milestone in the Shetland HVDC link project.

"This means that teams from Hitachi Energy can now progress with work to develop the electrical infrastructure inside, which will ultimately control the flow of electricity from the different HVDC routes and play a vital role in the overall development.

"Working with the community is something that has been really important to us since before construction even started, and we’re really pleased that ourselves and BAM Nuttall have been able to continue to support a number of brilliant local initiatives, most recently covering the cost for over 750 young people to enjoy sport activities during the October and summer school holidays."

Mr Baker added: "A huge credit to the teams and BAM Nuttall for all the hard work in reaching this stage, and we look forward to building on the good progress made so far as we continue to develop the Noss Head Switching Station."

The Shetland HVDC Link will support Shetland’s future security of supply as well as enabling the connection of renewable energy generation. The project is expected to be completed in late 2023.

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