Power line project up for Saltire award

Beauly to Denny scheme in running

A huge power line project which sparked controversy in Perth and Kinross has been shortlisted for a national civil engineering award.

The Beauly to Denny transmission line, connecting renewable energy sources in northern Scotland to the grid near Falkirk, cuts through parts of the Big County on its 136-mile route.

The project, last costed at £820 million, involves taller pylon towers to carry the higher-voltage line. Its aim is to double the renewable energy capacity of the network, enabling the country to meet nearly half its target of 50% renewable energy supply by 2020.

It was energised in sections from July 2013 and went fully live in November 2015.

Now it has been listed among 14 infrastructure projects in Scotland for this year’s Saltire Civil Engineering Awards, vying for the titles against motorway, bridges and harbour projects such as flood protection in the Borders, to modernising the Glasgow Subway.

The Beauly to Denny powerline, which travels through western Perthshire from Trinafour south beyond Muthill, brought together Perth-based SSE for the northern section to Dunblane, and Scottish Power for the remainder of the route. New substations were built in Highland Perthshire and Braco as part of the upgrade. Engineers from contractors Balfour Beatty delivered the scheme in some of the area’s most remote countryside.

Alastair Brand, SSEN project director said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this year’s Saltire Awards. The Beauly-Denny project is the longest transmission line to be built anywhere in the UK in recent times and crosses the highest and most inaccessible terrain on the Great Britain transmission system at the 2,526ft summit of the Corrieyairack Pass.

The Saltire Civil Engineering Awards showcase the infrastructure on which we depend, and celebrates the ingenuity of the people who design, build and maintain our infrastructure.

The winners of the six categories for 2017 will be announced at a special ceremony in Edinburgh in October.

Programme director of the Saltire Society, Sarah Mason said: “We are delighted to be celebrating the best in Scottish civil engineering.

“We believe it is important to recognise the achievements of the industry and the projects that are integral to our daily lives.”