Power suppliers to undertake emergency work on Sumburgh substation

WORK is set to be undertaken on a “major issue” with the electricity substation near Sumburgh.

Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) has installed a temporary substation adjacent to the existing one off the A970 near Virkie to allow the work to be carried out.

The existing substation is said to be at “at risk of a major power outage”.

SHEPD has applied for retrospective planning permission to site the structures, which include two generators and a switchroom.

It warned that without the temporary substation power could be lost “for a number of days” if there was an outage. The station serves around 600 customers in the Sumburgh area.

Staff hope that work will be completed on the existing substation by the end of May.

A spokesperson from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said: “As part of our ongoing maintenance and inspection programme, our teams have identified a piece of equipment in the current substation which needs to be replaced.

“We are committed to providing our customers with a safe and reliable supply of electricity, and if our inspections indicate that a piece of equipment may potentially cause a fault to develop, we will take the necessary steps to remove that risk.

“While we are carrying out this work, we need to have a site to house the equipment that will supply the local homes and businesses, hence the planning application.”