The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
‘Power cable will generate £640million’
SSE hails creation of jobs
Construction of a new power transmission cable linking Caithness and Moray will boost the UK economy by more than £640million – according to a report published by the company behind the project.
Power giant SSE says the £ 1.1billion scheme will bring quarter of a billion pounds benefit to Scotland, where the equivalent of 4,975 years of employment will also be supported.
The Caithness- Moray link is centred on construction of a 100-mile underground and subsea cable, using high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology. It is the largest project of its kind to be carried out by SHE Transmission, which is part of the SSE Group.
When complete, it will en a b l e about 1,200 megawatts of additional renewable generation capacity to connect to the National Grid.
According to the findings of a study into the economic contribution made by the project, SSE says £ 643.5million – almost two-thirds of the total investment – will be spent with UK-based suppliers and contractors.
Of this, £265.5million will be contributed to the Scottish economy.
In total, the company says, the project will support the equivalent of 10,971 years ofemployment in the UK.
SHE Transmission’s director of transmission David Gardner said: “The purpose of our work is to enable development of the north’s renewable energy resources, bringing further economic opportunity and playing a vital part in meeting the energy challenge facing the country as a whole.”
SSE says work on the project is progressing well, withonshoreinstallation of the HVDC cable in Caithness now largely complete. Work to instal the subsea cable is due to start next year.