Offshore Wind Power Flows Through Caithness-Moray Link

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Transmission, the wholly-owned subsidiary of SSE plc, has completed the construction, commissioning and energization of the new Caithness-Moray electricity transmission link in Scotland.

The link uses HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) technology to transmit power through a 113-kilometre subsea cable beneath the Moray Firth seabed between new converter stations at Spittal in Caithness and Blackhillock in Moray.

Completed on time and within the allowance approved by Ofgem, the Caithness-Moray link provides up to 1,200MW of capacity to transmit power from the increasing sources of renewable energy from across the far north of Scotland.

The link has already enabled turbines from the Beatrice offshore wind farm and Dorenell onshore wind farm to connect to the national grid, SSEN said.

“The successful energisation and commissioning of the Caithness-Moray link, on time and within budget, is a significant achievement for SSEN and everyone involved in the project,” Dave Gardner, who led the project as SSEN’s Director of Transmission, said.

“It will support deployment of renewable energy in the north of Scotland for many years to come. Now an operational asset, we will closely monitor the link and associated infrastructure to ensure its continued success as an integral part of the GB transmission system.”