SSEN Transmission Plans to Submit Consent Application for Spittal - Loch Buidhe - Beauly 400 kV Overhead Line Project

SSEN Transmission has started notifying stakeholders about a plan to submit its Section 37 overhead line consent application for the proposed Spittal - Loch Buidhe - Beauly 400 kV overhead line project within the next two weeks.

The project is a key component of SSEN Transmission’s ‘Pathway to 2030’ investment program, where it expects to invest about $29.56 billion in the period to March 2031, potentially rising to $42.59 billion. It is part of a wider renewal of the electricity transmission system across Great Britain that is required to enable the homegrown low-carbon electricity needed to deliver UK and Scottish clean power and energy security targets.

The project need has been independently assessed and approved by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and energy regulator, Ofgem.

The submission of the Section 37 consent application to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit will combine a detailed development process since 2022. Over 50 consultation events and public meetings took place to help inform the development of the new proposed overhead line, which also includes three new substations near Spittal (Banniskirk), Loch Buidhe (Carnaig), and Beauly (Fanellan).

New HVDC Convertor Stations are also planned at both Banniskirk and Fanellan which are required as part of the proposed Spittal-Peterhead and Western Isles-Beauly HVDC subsea links.

SSEN Transmission has also sought to balance key environmental, technical and economic considerations, in line with its regulatory licence and legislative obligations. This includes minimizing impacts on various environmental constraints, such as designations, and key cultural heritage assets along its route.

Minimizing community impacts and seeking to avoid close proximity to residential properties was also a key priority throughout the development phase.

According to BiGGAR Economics, if delivered in full, the potential $42.59 billion total investment is anticipated support up to 17,500 jobs in Scotland, including 8,400 in the north of Scotland. It will also add up to $9.4 billion in value to the Scottish economy, including $4 billion in the north of Scotland.

After the publication of the UK Government’s Community Benefit Guidance for new electricity transmission infrastructure, over $134.36 million of community benefit funding is expected across the north of Scotland, with the 173 km Spittal – Loch Buidhe – Beauly overhead line alone expected to deliver around $47 million of community benefit funding, with each substation and convertor station along its route generating a further $712.04 k.

SSEN Transmission’s Pathway to 2030 program is also expected to support the development of at least 1,000 new homes across the north of Scotland, 400 of which are expected in the Highlands.

SSEN Transmission continues to grow its workforce, which has increased from around 400 in 2019 to over 2,500 currently, with a series of new operational depots planned. This includes a new depot in the Caithness area, which will support 20 permanent roles in the area, making an important long-term contribution to the local economy and helping reverse population decline in the area.

Supporting the Scottish Government’s new guidance for priority applications for transmission infrastructure, which sets out a 52-week determination period, SSEN Transmission is expected to notify key stakeholders before the formal submission of the Section 37 consent application.

Following processing by the Scottish Government the detailed consent application and associated Environmental Impact Assessment will be published on both the Energy Consents Unit and SSEN Transmission websites, with paper copies available to review at key locations along its route.

Formal statutory notices will be published in local and national media, setting out the locations where paper copies of the Section 37 application will be available to view, which will also be published on SSEN Transmission’s website and shared with stakeholders signed up for project updates. The Scottish Government will undertake a period of public consultation as part of its determination of the critical national infrastructure, with a consent decision expected within 52-weeks.