NKT has secured a contract valued at approximately €2 billion from SSEN Transmission to design, manufacture, and install 525 kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine and land cable systems for two major transmission projects in Scotland.
Two major HVDC links to strengthen Scotland’s grid
The projects include the Western Isles link and the Spittal–Peterhead connection, both designed to support the transport of renewable energy across northern Scotland and from offshore island regions to the mainland. According to NKT, the Western Isles project will use approximately 170 km of combined onshore and offshore HVDC cable. The Spittal–Peterhead project will require about 210 km of route length, including subsea and land sections.
The Spittal–Peterhead link will connect Spittal in Caithness to Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, while the Western Isles link will run from the islands to Dundonnell in Wester Ross. Together, the projects will play a key role in strengthening transmission capacity and enabling the integration of renewable energy sources across the region.
Manufacturing and installation planned through 2030
NKT will manufacture the HVDC cables at its high-voltage production facility in Karlskrona, Sweden. The company will also carry out offshore installation using its own cable-laying vessels. SSEN Transmission has scheduled both links for completion around 2030 as part of its “Pathway to 2030” program.
More information about NKT’s high-voltage cable capabilities is available at https://www.nkt.com, while details on SSEN Transmission’s network development plans can be found at https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk.
Long-standing partnership and converter station supply
The award builds on an established working relationship between NKT and SSEN Transmission. NKT previously supplied and installed HVDC and HVAC cable systems for the Caithness–Moray and Shetland subsea links.
For the Spittal–Peterhead project, Hitachi Energy has already secured a contract to supply the HVDC converter stations. One converter station will operate at the Banniskirk hub near Spittal, while the second will serve the Netherton hub at Peterhead. Additional details on converter technology are available at https://www.hitachienergy.com.