The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Cable-laying vessel will instal two subsea lines
A newly-launched NKT cable laying vessel is docked in Aberdeen harbour ahead of its maiden project to instal two subsea power cables connecting Caithness to Moray.
The NKT Victoria is being used to lay 180miles of high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable across the Moray Firth as part of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ (SSEN) £1.1billion Caithness-Moray transmission project.
The purpose-built vessel will lay the cables in two campaigns – the first from Noss Head in Caithness to the midpoint of the cable route, and the second from Portgordon in Moray to the end of the previously laid cable.
This significant milestone follows on from the recent successful clearance of rocks and boulders along the proposed route of the Moray Firth and the ongoing work to create a trench in preparation for the cable installation.
Brian Mitchell, SSEN lead project manager, said: “The installation of the subsea cable is one of the major components of the Caithness-Moray project and the arrival of the NKT Victoria marks a very exciting milestone for SSEN and our contractors as we look forward to the subsea cable installation over the summer.”
The Caithness-Moray project is required to transport renewable electricity from across the north of Scotland to areas of demand across Scotland and beyond.
The vessel is expected to depart Aberdeen this morning in preparation for the cable installation.