UK energy regulator Ofgem has provisionally approved a subsea electricity transmission link to Orkney.
The link aims to provide the additional capacity needed to meet the demand of Orkney renewable developers.
The investment plan was originally submitted by SSEN Transmission in March 2018. Its proposed solution would enable the connection of up to 220MW of new renewable electricity and consists of a new substation at Finstown in Orkney, and around 57km of subsea cable, connecting to a new substation at Dounreay in Caithness.
In September 2019, Ofgem set a series of conditions 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. The decision also follows Ofgem’s approval of the Western Isles link in December 2022 and work to connect Shetland which is already well underway.
All planning consents are in place for the point-to-point connection, with work underway to plan the on-island infrastructure required to connect and transport Orkney renewable generators to Finstown substation, before onward transmission to demand centres in the north of Scotland and beyond.
The news was welcomed by SSEN Transmission, with Managing Director Rob McDonald saying: “Scotland’s island groups are home to some of 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, which 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.”