SSE powers forward with £200m Scottish subsea cable

SSE's plans to install a new subsea power line to transport renewable energy to the Scottish islands have taken a major step forward after the project this week received the green light from energy regulator Ofgem.

Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission, a subsidiary of SSE, yesterday confirmed it would press ahead with a £200m upgrade of the grid network between Argyll and North Ayrshire.

Under the proposals, the company plans to build a subsea cable between Kintyre and Hunterston to provide 150MW of new capacity for green energy projects.

The decision was made after the plans received approval from Ofgem, although a spokeswoman for SSE told BusinessGreen that pre-construction had already begun and the project was likely to be completed by 2016.

David Gardner, SSE director of transmission, said Ofgem's decision also boosted the company's wider plans to invest £5bn in the electricity network between 2013 and 2021.

"Along with completion of key projects within our approved budget of £1.4bn, including good progress on Beauly Denny, this project demonstrates that we are gaining momentum on our capital expenditure programme, which will connect significant amounts of renewable energy to the grid – contributing to energy security, economic growth and decarbonisation of electricity generation," he said in a statement.

Earlier this year, parts of Argyll suffered power outages as a result of high winds and heavy snowfall. The cable aims to boost the resilience of the network by providing an alternative source of power from the mainland.

2013/07/24 08:32:17 Source：《business green》