In accordance with the Priority Applications for Transmission Infrastructure guidance: Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, SSEN Transmission has held the Procedural Gatecheck meeting with the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) and is issuing this notice to provide advance notice to the statutory consultees, relevant Planning Authorities, affected landowners and local stakeholders of the date the s37 application is to be made.

We intend to submit the s37 application for the proposed Spittal – Loch Buidhe – Beauly 400kV OHL Connection by 20th August 2025.

Next Steps:

Following s37 submission, the ECU will undertake a validation process to confirm the application is complete.  This may take approximately one to two weeks.  Upon confirmation the application is complete, SSEN Transmission will issue statutory public notices in National and Local Press in accordance with The Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017. In addition, we shall notify our stakeholders and issue a wider general press release.

Alongside the statutory notifications, the s37 application will be available on the ECU Website Scottish Government - Energy Consents Unit, SSEN Transmission Project Website and printed copies will be provided for members of the public to view at various locations along the length of the proposed overhead line. Details of the viewing locations will be provided in the public notices, within the s37 application, provided to stakeholders on our mailing list and available on our website.

SSEN Transmission will issue further communications, after validation, providing information on how representations can be made to Scottish Ministers.

Further information on the s37 submission process can be found here: 2. Background - Priority Applications for Transmission Infrastructure guidance: Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 - gov.scot

To ensure safe access to our existing Loch Buidhe substation for Operational Needs, and construction access for our proposed Carnaig substation should it receive planning consent, road improvements are required along Migdale Road.

Please be advised that our primary contractors, Murphy, will be undertaking preparatory works, and as such have agreed a temporary road closure with The Highland Council to safely facilitate this.  

What is the duration of the road closure?

Our contractors have made efforts to limit the duration of works to 1 week, to ensure that the road re-opens in time for the new school term, keeping disruption to a minimum.

• The closure will be place between Monday 11^th – Sunday 17^th August
• On Sunday 17th August traffic lights will be situated by the Bonar Bridge Golf Club.
• Monday 18^th August road open as usual.

What about access for residents?

Access will remain open to residents and local businesses, but please be aware that there may be minor delays. If you have any concerns regarding specific appointments, please get in touch via the details below.

What do the works involve?

Road coring to ascertain ground composition for eventual road improvements.

Project contact

If you have any questions at any time please contact either SSEN Transmission’s Community Liaison Manager, Martin Godwin martin.godwin@sse.com

We would like to apologise for any inconvenience that may caused by these works and thank road users for their patience whilst these improvements are carried out.

We are committed to supporting the communities in the north of Scotland where we operate, both now and in the future. As part of our ongoing efforts to make a difference and have a positive impact on local communities, we are proud to offer volunteering days to local groups and charities, particularly in the areas that host our electricity infrastructure or where our proposed projects are located. 

This month, we’re excited to announce the launch of our new Volunteering Webpage, designed to make it easier for local communities to request volunteering support from us. To request our help, simply complete the ‘Volunteering Nomination Form’ linked at the bottom of our new webpage. Please note, as our team works on a voluntary basis, it may take us some time to coordinate our people and match them with opportunities. We kindly ask for your patience as we work to keep up with volunteering demand.

Thank you for considering SSEN Transmission as a partner in your community efforts. Together, we can leave a positive, lasting legacy and help transform communities across the north of Scotland.

Ground Investigation Works Overview: 

Over the coming months, our contractors will undertake ground investigation (GI) works in the southern section of the proposed 400kV overhead line between Loch Buidhe and Beauly.

These works will involve digging hand excavated inspection pits, drilling boreholes, digging trial pits and testing the strength of the soil and underlying rock with specialist equipment.  

This allows engineers to understand the engineering properties of the soil and rock beneath potential tower locations and their ability to support the structures.  

This work is a necessary step in any new development and the results will help determine the best design for overhead line alignments. 

Timeline/Programme:

• The works will commence on 17 February 2025 and will continue into 2026
• Landowners will be contacted in advance and access arrangements will be agreed for this work to progress
• Ground Investigation works will be conducted continuously by multiple subcontractors across the route
• Where there are environmental designations which require consents or licenses to be obtained, these will be scheduled later in the programme and / or out with seasonal restrictions
• Works will therefore not take place in a linear fashion along the whole project
• The schedule and sequencing of Ground Investigation works may change through findings and seasonal restrictions
• There will be multiple working teams on site at any one time, each responsible for conducting their ground investigation works at a single proposed tower location
• It is anticipated that the ground investigation work at each tower location will take approximately 3 days depending on what is found

What the works involve:

Ground Investigation work may be adapted dependent on findings and agreements with Landowners but will typically comprise of: 

• Machinery being towed into position before being assembled
• Appropriate traffic management measures being put in place (if deemed necessary) and agreed with the relevant authorities prior to doing so
• Some tree felling may occur in areas to allow access to proposed tower locations
• A variety of tools will be raised and lowered, either by a cable and winch or a series of steel rods, to drill holes and dig pits to take samples or carry out tests 
• Hand excavated inspection pits to a depth of 1.20m in advance of all boreholes
• A borehole at the centre of the proposed tower location
• Four machine excavated trial pits at the proposed tower locations
• Ground Strength tests at each tower and along access routes  
• Short bursts of noise may occur as tests are performed or samples are taken using a hammering action
• Machinery will typically be in place for a few days
• The work at each proposed tower location requires a minimum of two people, in a small working area
• On completion, the ground will be reinstated as agreed with the landowner and/or relevant authorities  
• Boreholes may have instrumentation installed to monitor ground water or gas levels
• Where an installation remains, the only thing visible is a small cover, level with the ground, or a small steel barrel to provide protection  
• Laboratory testing, geotechnical and environmental analysis and reporting 

The GI site works, and access will be overseen by a full time Ecological Clerks of Works (ECoW) and Archaeological Clerk of Work (ACoW) employed by the Principal Contractor, Wood Group, with support from our Environmental Consultants. Their primary responsibility will be to ensure the works do not impact on local wildlife, sensitive habitats, or archaeological features. 

The GI Works will be carried out using Permitted Development rights available to SSEN Transmission under Class 40, (1), (c) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 as amended, being necessary survey works.   

Our contractors will work to keep local disturbance to a minimum throughout the duration of these works. For any enquiries, please contact SLBB@sse.com. 

SSEN Transmission has today published its final Report on Consultation for a proposed new 400kV overhead line running from Spittal via  Loch Buidhe and on to Beauly. The project would comprise three new substations along its route.  

The Report on Consultation (ROC) provides a summary of the feedback received in response to proposals for the overhead line, how this has been considered, and confirmation of the final proposed overhead line route alignment (Proposed Development) intended to be taken forward for planning consent.  A copy of both the ROC and the Summary can be downloaded from the Documents tab,  or please click the links below for direct access: 

• Report on Consultation  

• Summary Document  

Hard copies will be available during our upcoming public consultation feedback events, and copies left accessible in local village halls where permitted.  

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Report for the Spittal – Loch Buidhe – Beauly 400kV overhead line (OHL) project has now been prepared and submitted to the Energy Consents Unit.

The Scoping Report sets out our proposed approach and methodology for the assessment of route options within the Environmental Impact Assessment; the EIA process will allow us to identify how we can avoid or minimise environmental impacts of the proposed development and will help us to incorporate positive environmental enhancements.

Further work is on-going to arrive at a Proposed Alignment which will form the basis of the future EIA Report which will accompany the future consent application.  

You can read our EIA Scoping report together with supporting Appendices here: Scottish Government - Energy Consents Unit - Application Details - ECU00006008

Please note that a Web Viewer is used to support the report which can be found here:  Spittal - Loch Beauly - Beauly 400kV OHL Scoping Web Viewer 

This week SSEN Transmission hosted a webinar to outline the differences behind technology options which will help transform the electricity grid in the north of Scotland in the journey to net zero. 

The webinar, titled ‘Overground, underground, or subsea - how decisions are made on where electricity transmission lines go’, explore topics such as the comparison between the different transmission technologies and the complexities and challenges that come with transporting the huge amount of renewable energy being generated across the country to where it is needed.

Watch the full webinar within News and Views. Video length is approximately 1 hour 25 minutes. 

Specialist teams at SSEN Transmission have been working with communities and public bodies to minimise the impact of infrastructure works on the Flow Country – now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In this blog, Senior Consents and Environment Manager Tara Cowley explains that environmental protection is at the heart of our project development process.  

At SSEN Transmission we were delighted to hear the news that the Flow Country has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status, in recognition of the globally important role this peatland plays in the fight against climate change.

Read the full article to find out more.

Ground Investigation Works Overview: 

Over the coming months, our contractors will undertake ground investigation (GI) works, to help inform the next stage of development relating to the alignment of new Spittal – Loch Buidhe - Beauly 400kV overhead line.  

These works will involve digging hand excavated inspection pits, drilling boreholes, digging trial pits and testing the strength of the soil and underlying rock with specialist equipment.  

This allows engineers to understand the engineering properties of the soil and rock beneath potential tower locations and their ability to support the structures.  

This work is a necessary step in any new development and the results will help determine the best design for overhead line alignments. 

Timeline/Programme:

• The works will commence on 12^th August 2024 and expected to continue until mid 2026 

• GI works will initially commence for a period of approx 3 weeks around the middle of the proposed Spittal – Loch Buidhe overhead line in an upland area.

• Works will relocate up to the prospective Banniskirk Hub Site (near Spittal) and progress sequentially south to each proposed tower location along the proposed overhead line alignment. Landowners will be contacted, and access arrangements agreed before any works progress. 

• Where there are environmental designations which require consents or licenses to be obtained, these will be scheduled later in the programme and / or out with seasonal restrictions.
• Works will therefore not take place in a linear fashion along the whole project. 
• The schedule and sequencing of ground investigation works may change through findings and seasonal restrictions throughout the 12–18 month period.   
• There will be likely be three working teams on site at any one time, each responsible for conducting their ground investigation works at a single proposed tower location. 
• Work at each tower location will take 3 days depending on what is found.

What the works involve:

Ground Investigation work may be adapted dependent on findings and agreements with Landowners but will typically comprise of: 

• Machinery being towed into position before being assembled.

• Appropriate traffic management measures being put in place (if deemed necessary) and agreed with the relevant authorities prior to doing so.  

• A variety of tools will be raised and lowered, either by a cable and winch or a series of steel rods, to drill holes and dig pits to take samples or carry out tests.  

• Hand excavated inspection pits to a depth of 1.20m in advance of all boreholes.  

• A borehole at the centre of the proposed tower location (with some towers having 2 boreholes at diagonally opposite legs)
• Machine excavated trial pits at the diagonally opposite legs of proposed tower locations
• Ground Strength tests at each tower and along access routes  

• Short bursts of noise may occur as tests are performed or samples are taken using a hammering action. 

• Machinery will typically be in place for a few days.

• The work at each proposed tower location requires a minimum of two people, in a small working area .
• On completion, the ground will be reinstated as agreed with the landowner and/or relevant authorities.  

• Boreholes may have instrumentation installed to monitor ground water or gas levels.  

• Where an installation remains, the only thing visible is a small cover, level with the ground, or a small steel barrel to provide protection  

• Laboratory testing, geotechnical and environmental analysis and reporting. 

The GI site works, and access will be overseen by a full time Ecological Clerks of Works (ECoW) and Archaeological Clerk of Work (ACoW) employed by the Principal Contractor, Murphy Group, with support from our Environmental Consultants. Their primary responsibility will be to ensure the works do not impact on local wildlife, sensitive habitats, or archaeological features. 

The GI Works will be carried out using Permitted Development rights available to SSEN Transmission under Class 40, (1), (c) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 as amended, being necessary survey works.   

Our contractors will work to keep local disturbance to a minimum throughout the duration of these works. For any enquiries, please contact SLBB@sse.com. 

We would like to thank all members of the local community and interested parties who took the time to attend the one of the 14 public events across the project route between 03 - 20 June 2024.

During the consultation we shared our potential alignment for the overhead line, with alternative alignment options in some locations, presented through maps and visualisations.

The consultation period for this project has now closed and feedback is being reviewed by the project team. A Report on Consultation will be published in due course outlining the feedback received and the next steps.

If you were unable to attend the public event you can download the project materials that were on display here.

We would like to thank all local community members and stakeholders who took the time to attend our recent March 2024 public engagement events which took place 11 – 28 March with 14 in person events covering the Spittal - Loch Buidhe - Beauly 400kV projects.

Our feedback period remains open until 28 April. We welcome all interested parties to submit their feedback regarding the proposals presented during consultation via;

Online feedback form: Spittal to Loch Buidhe to Beauly Feedback Form

Email: slbb@sse.com 

Post: FAO Martin Godwin, SSEN Transmission, 10 Henderson Road, Inverness, IV1 1SN

Copies of the information booklet, maps and consultation document for the alternative route D/E are available to download via the ‘Project Documents’ section of this project website.

The recording of the event and slide packs are available below for those who were unable to attend.

• Recording of the event
• Slide pack

Our Reports on Consultation across our three new overhead line projects and associated substation and convertor station developments have now been published. These reports provide a summary of the extensive feedback received during consultation, how this has been considered and confirmation of which routes and substations are now being taken forward to the next stage of development. 

Our Reports on Consultation are now available to download from the Project Documentation tab. 

Summary Reports on Consultation are also available for each of the three schemes and can be downloaded below:  

• Summary Report on Consultation Beauly to Peterhead  
• Summary Report on Consultation Spittal to Beauly
• Summary Report on Consultation Kintore to Tealing

A stakeholder webinar available for all to join will be held in the coming weeks to share the changes informed by the feedback. More information about the forthcoming webinar will be shared on our events page shortly.   

In further recognition of community feedback, we will seek to rationalise cumulative infrastructure impacts through the removal and undergrounding of existing transmission lines, where technically practical and appropriate, and subject to all necessary planning consents and landowner agreements. 

Work to identify and assess potential sections of existing overhead line where their removal will reduce cumulative impacts is ongoing, with an update expected as part of the next round of public consultation on overhead line alignments and more detailed substation designs in early 2024.  

We would once again like to thank all stakeholders who took the time to engage with our early consultation process. We will continue to engage with stakeholders ahead of consulting further with local communities and stakeholders in the new year, as we look to refine our proposals.

Over the course of this year, we have undertaken extensive consultation on plans to upgrade the electricity transmission network across the north of Scotland and have received a considerable amount of feedback from a wide range of stakeholders regarding our proposals. 

We recently advised in our next steps for 2030 network developments update that following assessment of consultation feedback and additional options analysis, we would publish our Report on Consultations (RoCs). These reports provide a summary of the feedback received and how it has been considered, which options we will take forward to the next stage of the development process and any changes to options initially consulted on.  

It is our intention to publish the RoCs for this project in the coming months. All stakeholders signed up for updates on the project will receive a link to the report and we will also issue Summary Reports to help ensure accessibility. 

These Report on Consultations mark the completion of the first round of non-statutory consultation, where we sought feedback on the corridor, route, and substation locations. We will be consulting further with local communities and stakeholders in the new year, as we look to refine the projects, therefore we welcome an open channel of communication and would like to reassure all stakeholders that there will be further opportunities to engage on this project.

Our Reports on Consultation and Summary Reports on Consultation are now available to download from the Project Documentation tab.

We have announced our next steps for our Pathway to 2030 programme of projects. We would like to thank everyone who has engaged with our teams and kindly taken the time to respond to our consultations.
Full details of the announcement can be found here:
Next steps for Pathway to 2030

We have recently started localised surveys, assessments and ground investigation works at various locations across the Pathway to 2030 projects which will be used to help gather information to inform the next stage of development for a major electricity transmission network upgrade in the north of Scotland.

Over the coming weeks and months, our project teams and contractors will undertake a series of site-specific assessments which include the likes of ground investigations, bird surveys, LiDAR flights, and ecological and archaeological walkovers and assessments.

Ground investigation works have either recently commenced or are set to begin throughout the Summer for the new 400kV substation and converter stations proposed as part of our Spittal – Loch Buidhe – Beauly 400kV connection, Western Isles connection, Beauly – Blackhillock – New Deer – Peterhead 400kV connection and East Coast 400kV phase 2 projects. Project teams and contractors will undertake a series of site-specific assessments which will help provide vital information and key data for the next phase of project development.

Some of the geo-technical ground investigations may involve drilling boreholes or digging trial pits, which will allow engineers to understand the geographical make-up and suitability of the ground in certain locations to help inform potential design options. 

Site assessments and survey works are a key part of the project development process, and the results of these investigations will provide project teams with valuable information to help inform decisions regarding substation site selections and overhead line routes, which will be subject to further consultation later this year.

Initial surveys will prioritise sites and routes which performed the best based on our initial assessment of key environmental and people, technical, and economic factors, and there have been no decisions taken on locations as yet.

There may be more activity on the ground over the summer, and whilst most assessments are expected to cause very little local disruption, we would like to thank the local community for their patience whilst they are carried out. Where more evasive assessments are required such as ground investigation works, we will work to keep local disruption and environmental impacts to a minimum. Please contact your local Community Liaison Manager if you have any questions.

We would like to thank all stakeholders who took the time to attend and respond to our recent public consultation regarding our identified route options and substation locations for the new Spittal – Loch Buidhe – Beauly 400kV Connection project.

The in-person consultation events were held between 20^th February and 6^th March at 9 different locations between Halkirk and Beauly and supplemented with an online event. The consultation feedback period was extended by two weeks and closed on 14^th April.

Our proposals received a particularly high level of interest with over 600 online feedback forms received and a large volume of email and letter feedback.

We look forward to engaging further with local communities and stakeholders as we begin detailed analysis on the feedback received and carrying out more targeted engagement to assist with refining proposals. Our next public consultation event is currently scheduled for late 2023.

In the meantime, a Consultation Summary Report and a Frequently Asked Questions document will be published in the coming weeks.

Public consultation feedback period has now closed

We would like to thank all stakeholders who took the time to attend and respond to our recent public consultation regarding our identified route options and substation locations for the new Spittal – Loch Buidhe – Beauly 400kV Connection.

The in-person consultation events were held between 20^th February and 6^th March at 9 different locations between Halkirk and Beauly and supplemented with an online event. The consultation feedback period was extended by two weeks and closed on 14^th April.

Our proposals received a particularly high level of interest with over 600 online feedback forms received and a large volume of email and letter feedback.

We look forward to engaging further with local communities and stakeholders as we begin detailed analysis on the feedback received and carrying out more targeted engagement to assist with refining proposals.

A Consultation Summary Report is available on the Project Documents tab of this webpage.

Spittal - Loch Buidhe - Beauly OHL Connection Story Map

Enter Virtual Exhibition Room

Join us on Monday 6th March 2023 from 5pm - 7pm for our live Virtual Consultation event. 

We will be holding initial drop-in public consultation events in February/March 2023 to share our approach to developing this project and the rationale behind our early proposals.

This will involve hosting multiple consultation events between Spittal and Beauly to hear stakeholder views regarding our preferred technology options, thoughts on our proposed route option for the new 400kV connection and, if there are further considerations you believe need to be taken in to account during the next stage of the development process.

The consultation events will be taking place on:

20th February (2.30–7pm) - Halkirk, Ross Institue 
21st February (2.30–7pm) - Helmsdale, Bunilidh Social Club
22nd February (2.30–7pm) - Dunbeath, Dunbeath Hall
23rd February (2.30–7pm) - Golspie, Fountain Road Hall
27th February (3.30–7pm) - Bonar Bridge, Community Hall
28th February (2.30–7pm) - Ardross, Community Hall
1st March (2.30–7pm) - Dingwall – Legion Hall
2nd March (2.30–7pm) - Beauly – Kilmorack Hall
6th March (5–7pm) Virtual event (Joining details to follow on website)

Should you have any questions regarding the consultations please contact the Community Liaison Manager, Martin Godwin.