Orkney Link Project: Upcoming 24-Hour Operations at Warebeth Site

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  • Public information meeting planned for Monday 30 June in Stromness to share project updates

The project to connect Orkney to the electricity transmission network for the first time is moving forwards at pace, with work on the cable section at Warebeth moving up a gear.

The area where the future Orkney Link Project’s subsea cable will come ashore at Warebeth, known as the landfall point, is making good progress.  Recently the team has successfully completed pilot bore holes using Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technology, with each hole eight inches in diameter.

The next phase involves enlarging these bores - first to 26 inches, then to 36 inches – to increase their diameter. To ensure the safe operation and efficiency of this work, operations will move to a 24-hour schedule starting later this week.

Why 24-Hour operations are necessary
Continuous drilling is critical to avoid material hardening around the equipment, which could increase the risk of the drill snapping and delay progress to the project. A round-the-clock approach allows the team to complete this stage safely and without interruption, while also minimising the overall duration of drilling activities at Warebeth.

Mitigating noise and disruption
The project team are mindful of the potential impact on the local community and remain committed to minimising disruption wherever practical.

Teams have introduced enhanced mitigation measures including noise barriers around the Warebeth site, generators and key machinery.  Ongoing monitoring of noise and vibration will continue throughout this phase.

Next steps
Preparatory works at the Warebeth site are scheduled to begin from this week, with full-scale operations beginning shortly thereafter. Completion of the landfall HDD activities is expected by September.

Stromness public information event
SSEN Transmission is working closely with the local community and, following requests from the project’s Community Liaison Group (CLG), a public information meeting will be held on Monday 30 June in Stromness to share more updates about the project.

Local residents, stakeholders or anyone with an interest in the project is welcome to attend to hear more about the work underway to connect the Orkney islands to the electricity transmission grid for the first time. 

The meeting will be held on Monday 30 June from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at Orkney Campus, Stromness. Questions can be submitted in advance to the project team via Orkney.engagement@sse.com.

Peter Jordan, Lead Project Manager at SSEN Transmission said: “We’re pleased to see that, after months of careful work, we have successfully completed the pilot bore holes for the future electricity link cable to be pulled through. 

“We’re now progressing to the next steps in this critical work by moving to widen out these holes in readiness for the ducts which will carry the submarine cable ashore.   This is careful and precise work and to do this safely and efficiently we’ll soon be moving to 24-hour working at the Warebeth landfall site to allow this operation to be completed effectively.

“We want to assure the local community that we are doing everything we can to mitigate against disruption these works may cause, and we’ll be  monitoring noise levels throughout operations in this phase.

“We also want to keep the local community informed about our project, and we’ve been working closely with our project Community Liaison Group since construction began. We are looking forward to hosting our next public information event on Monday 30 June in Stromness at the Orkney Campus to provide an opportunity to share more about the Orkney Link Project.  Anyone with an interest in our project is welcome to attend, and we’ll have members of the project team available to share information about what we’ve accomplished in the project so far, as well as answer any questions people may have.  We look forward to seeing people there.”

The Orkney Link Project involves building a new high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) system between Finstown in Orkney to Dounreay in Caithness on the Scottish mainland.  The system will be capable of transmitting 220MW of power, linking Orkney to the main transmission electricity grid for the first time.  Once complete, the link will allow two-way flow of electricity from the Orkney Isles, helping to unlock the island’s potential as a renewable energy powerhouse, while also ensuring the island’s energy security.

The link involves building new substations at Finstown in Orkney and Dounreay in Caithness, with 53km of subsea cable and around 14km of underground cable from the landfall point in Warebeth to Finstown.

Work at the new Finstown Substation is progressing well, with work to build the substation platform continuing.   The first temporary buildings on site to allow for future worker accommodation are in the process of being assembled, with recreational areas such as an on-site canteen, gym and social areas nearly complete.  

Learn more about the project here: https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/project-map/orkney/