Contractors selected for £1bn Highland power lines work

SSEN Transmission’s Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework will be responsible for delivering the onshore transmission infrastructure within SSEN’s ‘Pathway to 2030’ network redevelopment programme

Following a competitive procurement process, Balfour Beatty, Siemens Energy, Bam, J Murphy & Sons, Wood Power Solutions, Omexom, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Burns & McDonnell, Morrison Energy Services, Linxon, IQA and NKT have all been selected as preferred bidders, each with different areas of speciality.

Collectively, they will install overhead lines, underground cables and substations required to redevelop the transmission network in the north of Scotland between now and 2030.

Final contract awards, including defined scope and value of works, are expected later in 2023.

Projects in the ‘Pathway to 2030’ programme include:

• Two 2GW subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) links from Peterhead to England, both of which will be taken forward as joint ventures with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET)
• A 2GW subsea HVDC link from Spittal in Caithness, connecting to Peterhead
• A 1.8GW subsea HVDC link from Arnish on the Western Isles, connecting to the north of Scotland mainland
• 400kV onshore reinforcements: between Beauly, Blackhillock, New Deer and Peterhead; between Beauly, Loch Buidhe and Spittal; and between Kintore, Tealing and Westfield
• Uprating the existing Beauly to Denny line to enable 400kV operation on both circuits
• A new HVDC switching station at Peterhead, which will help reduce the number of HVDC and convertor stations required for future HVDC links.

Balfour Beatty was appointed by SSEN Transmission in 2019 to deliver the first and second phase of overhead line works, which are ongoing in the west of Scotland between Port Ann and Crossaig. It is also delivering a 400 kV substation and associated cabling and overhead line works for SSEN Transmission in Peterhead.

SSEN Transmission managing director Rob McDonald said: “Our ‘Pathway to 2030’ network redevelopment programme will play a huge role in delivering Scotland and the UK’s net zero targets and the selection of this group of preferred bidders for crucial elements of that redevelopment work is a massive step forward in delivering that.

“As we aim to conclude contract negotiations in the coming weeks and months, we look forward to working with each of the selected contractors in the delivery of our ‘Pathway to 2030’ projects.”

SSEN has also selected Hitachi Energy as preferred bidder for its Western Isles and Spittal-Peterhead HVDC converter systems and NKT for Western Isles and Spittal-Peterhead HVDC cables.  

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