The Shetland Islands, the UK’s northernmost point, has been connected to the GB electricity grid for the first time through subsea cables.
The Shetlands lie some 110 miles from mainland Scotland and had previously relied on its own local sources for power generation, including two fossil-fuel power stations.
The islands are now connected to the national grid via a 260km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link installed by SSEN Transmission.
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The subsea cable connects a converter station at Kergord on the island to a switching station at Noss Head on the mainland.
The connection will provide clean energy to flow from the Shetlands to the rest of the UK, increasing the country’s renewable energy source.
Energy will also be supplied back to the island, reducing its dependence on fossil fuel stations.
“The completion of these projects is a significant step in unlocking the green energy potential of the Shetland islands,” said John Swinney, the first minister of Scotland, John Swinney.
“These developments will not only aid us in our efforts to decarbonise our energy system, but help to stimulate sustainable economic growth in the local area.”
In addition to the subsea cable’s completion, SSE’s renewables division announced it has completed the installation of the Viking Wind Farm.
Featuring more than 100 Vestas turbines, the wind farm can produce around 1.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable electricity annually — enough to power some 500,000 homes each year.
Both projects were part of a £1 billion investment by SSE to increase the UK’s clean energy infrastructure and supported around 650 jobs during peak construction.
, commented on the crucial role Viking will play in the UK's clean energy mission:
“By Switching on Viking, hundreds of thousands of homes in the Shetlands and right across the country will benefit from cheap, homegrown energy, and this project has created jobs and growth for local communities,” said Ed Miliband, the UK’s energy secretary.
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