The link between Shetland and the UK via HVDC cable is being announced by SSE Renewables. This successful high voltage direct current submarine link is worth £660 million.
A historical project
This HVDC cable linking Shetland to the United Kingdom is 260 kilometers long and is currently at 100 kilometers of installation. This project is part of SSEN Transmission’s historic Shetland High Voltage Direct Current Link goal. This first section requires careful coordination between the cable ship and the onshore installation.
By July, the submarine HVDC cable was successfully stretched to its landing point near Wick. The cable, installed on the seabed, runs as the ship NKT Victoria sailed away to the east of the Orkney Islands. Chris Finnigan, SSEN Transmission Project Manager, states:
“We are delighted that the first cable installation campaign has been completed, which means that the first 100 kilometers of the Shetland HVDC link subsea cable has been safely installed on the seabed, heading north from the shore of Noss Head. This was a complex operation involving multiple parties, and we are really pleased that this first campaign has been completed safely and successfully.”
An expected connection
In addition, the terrestrial HVDC cable is also operational. The offshore team is now focusing on preparing for next year’s submarine cable installation campaigns. Thus, a second campaign is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023.
It will involve 57 kilometers of HVDC cable running from Weisdale Voe in Shetland south to the North Sea. The third campaign will take place in 2023 and will complete the link between the first and second North Sea campaigns. As a result, the Shetland HVDC submarine link project is scheduled for completion by 2024.
