SSEN consulting community councils on future energy projects

SSEN officials will begin consulting with community councils next month on future energy projects, such as a potential second HVDC link. 

Delting Community Council will host SSEN Transmission staff at a special meeting on Tuesday 1 October at the Mossbank school, in the first of these consultations.

SSEN said the meetings would help the company gather “invaluable feedback” before full public consultations follow.

It said it would be offering all community councils across Shetland the chance to hear more about its future projects.

“Working with the community is really important to us, which is why we’re meeting with members of Delting Community Council at the beginning of October to share more about our potential future energy infrastructure projects in Shetland,” SSEN said.

“Our future Shetland projects, including the potential second Shetland HVDC link, are in the early stages of development”.

Ofgem said last month it had a “high degree of confidence” that a second HVDC subsea cable between Shetland and the Scottish mainland would be required.

That could be used to export power from proposed offshore windfarms from the east of Shetland to the mainland, the National Grid said previously.

SSEN is also planning a new switching station in Yell, as well as a new subsea cable to the island.

This is to allow two planned wind farms in Yell, set to be developed by Norwegian firm Statkraft, to export energy.

Statkraft is also behind the planned Mossy Hill wind farm on the outskirts of Lerwick, while it is investigating potential hydrogen production at the former Scatsta Airport site.

In an interview discssuing the switch-on of the 103-turbine Viking Energy wind farm in the central mainland, SSE chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies confirmed the company would be interested in “further developments in the islands”.