Energy / Two public meetings planned for upcoming SSEN roadworks
SSEN is set to hold two public meetings later this month to allow people the chance to learn more about upcoming roadworks for its Shetland North reinforcement project.
There has already been plenty of road disruption in recent months to allow for cable installation, including between Girlsta and Voe, as well as the Dales Lees road – with various sets of traffic lights currently in place.
But with more work now on the horizon the energy firm is holding public meetings in Scalloway and Voe at the end of the month.
The former will take place at the Scalloway hall on 25 February between 12.30pm and 6.30pm, while the Voe event will be held at the village’s hall the day after, also from 12.30pm to 6.30pm.
An advert said there will be “intermittent works” along sections of the Tingwall to Voe road until the summer, with a map focusing on the Girlsta area.
When asked by Shetland News for more information about the events, a spokesperson from SSEN Distribution said: “Our contract partner, OCU, is delivering essential works which will provide long-term benefits to Shetland’s electricity network and the customers and communities who use it.
“In spite of challenging weather, OCU continues to make good progress. We anticipate that work at the four sites where upgrades are underway will be complete by early summer.
“We’d like to thank road users for their patience and understanding while we carry out these essential upgrades.”
They added that the two public events “will provide local communities with the opportunity to meet the SSEN and OCU project teams, and learn more about the essential forthcoming works we’ll be undertaking”.
The project will see the installation of two new high voltage distribution cables between the Gremista grid supply point in Lerwick and the North Mainland.
With a focus on installing cabling in public roads, the project will ultimately allow Sullom Voe Terminal to connect to the grid to receive power.
SSEN also said it will “increase network capacity, thus supporting the installation of low carbon technologies such as heat pumps and EV chargers in customers’ homes”.
The webpage for the project includes two maps – a northern cable route and a southern route.
The image for the northern route sees cabling go through Voe and the Dales Lees road. For the southern route map, cabling runs along the A970 from Veensgarth to Sandwater.
In addition to these underground cables, SSEN will also construct a new switching station at Quoys of Garth, carry out upgrades to substations at Firth and Mid Yell and make “minor reconfigurations” to existing overhead lines over the course of the project.
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