Consultation period remains open for Shetland subsea connection plans

The consultation remains open for marine elements of Shetland subsea connection plans until 7 August

  • Following recent in-person events, people in Shetland can still submit feedback on marine elements of Shetland 2 HVDC Link and Yell HVAC Connection

  • Public urged to continue to help shape proposals ahead of further consultation events later this year

People in Shetland still have the opportunity to provide feedback on new proposed subsea electricity transmission connections, following a series of marine consultation events that took place last month.

Around 100 people attended the events held in Brae, Burravoe in Yell and Voe to learn more about the proposed Shetland 2 High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Link, and Yell High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) Connection.

The consultation period for the marine element of each project remains open until August 7, with people invited to submit their views online or by contacting ShetlandEngagement@sse.com

The events mark the start of consultation activity relating to each project, which would provide a second HVDC connection between Shetland and mainland Scotland, and connect the island of Yell to the electricity transmission system on mainland Shetland. 

Further consultation events for the onshore elements of each project will take place later this year, with SSEN Transmission planning to return in September to present an overview of proposed projects.

Cath Swan, Lead Project Manager for the Yell Connection Project, said: “We are holding our September event in response to feedback from the local community that they’d like to see more information on our own proposed projects and other developers’ plans.

“This will help people form a fuller picture of our planned infrastructure ahead of full public consultations later this year, and demonstrates our willingness to respond to requests from the local community that will help enable deeper understanding.

“Further details on our planned September event will be shared in the coming weeks.”

Cath added that last month’s consultation events were a valuable exercise that will inform the development process for each project, and encouraged anyone who hasn’t yet provided feedback to do so.

“On behalf of the project teams I’d like to thank all those who attended our events, where we had a lot of productive discussions and gained valuable insights on the marine constraints and considerations that will inform landfall and route development for each subsea connection.

“The consultation period for the marine elements of the Shetland 2 and Yell Connection closes on August 7, and I’d encourage anyone who still wishes to provide feedback to email  ShetlandEngagement@sse.com, or complete the online feedback form that can be found on our website.”

For the online feedback form, visit Shetland 2 High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Link Consultation Feedback Form - SSEN Transmission