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NETWORK / 26 / MARCH 2019 PROJECT UPDATE T his new link will allow more renewable power to be trans- mitted southwards from the far north of Scotland. It has already enabled turbines from the Beatrice offshore windfarm (588MW) and the Dorenell onshore wind - farm (177MW) to connect to the power grid. At a total cost of £970 million, the project was completed for less than the £1.06 bil- lion budget set by Ofgem but nevertheless represents the largest single investment ever made by parent company SSE. "At around £1bn, the Caithness-Moray project is the largest investment in the north of Scotland's electricity infrastructure since the 1950s and the largest single capital investment ever undertaken by the SSE Group," notes Scott. "As well as strengthen - ing security of supply for the communities in which we serve, the link will facilitate the growth in renewable energy from the far north of Scotland, supporting the transfer of up to 1200MW of new renewable genera - tion." In Caithness, Moray and Sutherland there is an increasing demand for connec- tions to the GB transmission network from both onshore and offshore wind farms and looking to the future, the link will support wind, wave and tidal renewables across the Pentland Firth, Orkney and Shetland, ex - ploiting the potential for wind and marine energy in this part of the country. Scott believes that the Caithness-Moray link will play a major role in supporting the decarbonisation of the power system while at the same time supporting the delivery of local, national and international climate change and renewable targets. So what challenges needed to be over- come when carrying out this work? "One of the main challenges with deliver- ing a project of this scale and complexity was doing so on time and within our regula- tory allowance," remarked Scott. "We are extremely proud to have met this challenge, Investing in energy Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) recently switched on the £1 billion Caithness-Moray transmission link. The 1.2GW power line from Spittal in Caithness to Blackhillock in Moray features a large subsea section stretching 113 kilometres across the Moray Firth. Alec Peachey caught up with project director Tony Scott. with the link already supporting the con- nection of renewable energy from across the north of Scotland." From a construction delivery perspec- tive, due to the size, scope and geographical spread of the overall project, Caithness-Mo- ray was split into five main clusters as well as a number of smaller standalone projects. Scott added: "This enabled any chal- lenges which arose to be dealt with as safely and as effectively as possible." Construction work lasted for four years and included the installation of two new converter stations at either end of the high voltage direct current cable, as well as the reinforcement of two existing overhead power lines. In total the project involved approximately 850 workers at any one time, and at its peak, this number rose to over 1,600. Scott continued: "As more renewables from varying sources (marine, tidal, island wind) become mainstream there will be a need for further projects like Caithness Moray to connect these sources to the grid. The technology to do this is becoming more complex and advanced and there is a requirement to work closely with our supply chain and partners to ensure that future projects can be easily integrated into our transmission network. "It is the first HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) system in north of Scotland, long - est transmission subsea cable asset, and the sheer scale of the project and range of assets is unprecedented for our company. The Caithness Moray HVDC link has been future proofed for connecting renewable generation on Shetland, thereby further reinforcing Scotland's renewable generating capacity." The project has already facilitated the connection of 985MW of generation to con - nect to the national grid. This includes the recently connected turbines from Beatrice offshore wind farm (588MW on completion) and Dorenell onshore wind farm (177MW on THE PROJECT IN NUMBERS £1bn Total cost of the Caithness-Moray trans- mission link. 1,600 The number of people working on the project at its peak. 113km A large subsea section of cable stretches this distance across the Moray Firth. 1200MW The link will support the transfer of this amount of new renewable generation. 4GW The amount of generation in the pipeline over the next five years. completion), with a further 4GW of genera- tion in the pipeline over the next five years. So how did Scott and his team cope with the pressure of working on such a large and important project? "As custodians of the north of Scot - land transmission system one of our key responsibilities is to ensure the safe, secure and reliable delivery of electricity. SSEN Transmission has a strong track record in delivering large scale infrastructure. We are proud of this reputation and the role that we play in helping to support Scotland's transition to a low carbon economy. With over 6GW of renewable electricity connected to our transmission network, and with the energisation of Caithness-Moray now com - plete and further large-scale reinforcements expected in the coming years this growth is expected to continue as we decarbonise the power sector and the shi¡ to decarbonised heat and transport develops further," he concludes.