SSEN Transmission, SSE plc (LON:SSE) electricity transmission business, welcomes today’s publication by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) of its ‘Beyond 2030 Update’. This sets out a series of additional new and upgraded electricity transmission network reinforcements across Great Britain that are required to deliver UK and Scottish energy targets.
For the north of Scotland, this includes several onshore and offshore reinforcements that represent a further potential estimated investment of over £12bn for SSEN Transmission. These are:
· EGL5: a new 2GW HVDC link from Longside (Netherton Hub in Aberdeenshire) connecting via subsea offshore cable to Lincolnshire.
· EGL6: a new 2GW HVDC link in the Newmachar area connecting via subsea offshore cable to southeast England.
· Greens to Harburn: a new 400kV double circuit line from Greens substation in Aberdeenshire to Harburn in SPEN’s network region. As part of this proposed reinforcement, for the section between Kintore and Tealing, the existing 275kV overhead line would be replaced with a higher capacity 400kV overhead line.
While not actively progressing at this time, the report also confirms the potential need to upgrade the existing Dounreay to Loch Buidhe to Beauly 275kV overhead line with higher capacity 275kV conductors.
Today’s update builds on the NESO’s March 2024 ‘Beyond 2030’ report, which included several new and upgraded reinforcements in the north of Scotland that are now at different stages of the development phase. The 2024 report also confirmed the need for additional north-south network reinforcements, which today’s report provides.
As part of this process, SSEN Transmission submitted several onshore and offshore reinforcement options for the NESO to assess based on a range of criteria, before confirming today’s additional reinforcements as the most appropriate solutions.
Enabling a cleaner, more secure and affordable electricity future
As Scotland and the UK continues to accelerate progress towards a cleaner, more secure and affordable electricity future, the north of Scotland remains set to play a key role in this low carbon transition and capitalise on the substantial jobs and economic opportunities it presents for people and businesses across the region.
Delivering this national endeavour will be achieved through a homegrown, renewables-led electricity system, reducing the country’s dependence on, and price exposure to, volatile global wholesale gas markets. This will help insulate the country from the global spikes in electricity costs experienced in recent years as a result of geopolitical events.
Enabling these changes in how we produce and use electricity will require significant investment in new and upgraded electricity network infrastructure, removing grid bottlenecks, reducing constraint costs, and ensuring electricity can flow from where it’s generated to where it’s needed by households and businesses.
Next steps
As the recommendations set out in today’s publication – and those from the 2024 report – progress through the development stage, they will be subject to extensive public consultation and stakeholder engagement to help inform potential routes, substation locations and technology choices.
Progression of these investments will require an appropriate regulatory framework, including early confirmation that SSEN Transmission will be the Delivery Body, alongside securing all planning and regulatory approvals.
SSEN Transmission remains committed to keeping all stakeholders updated as it progresses the network upgrades required to deliver a cleaner, more secure and affordable electricity future.
