To play a part in conserving Scotland’s designated landscapes, SHE Transmission sought to access a proportion of a £500m fund that is administered by the electricity industry regulator Ofgem. The Ofgem fund is only available to mitigate the visual impacts of transmission infrastructure in National Parks and National Scenic Areas (NSAs). SHE Transmission identified the Cairngorms National Park as an area where mitigation of the visualisation of transmission infrastructure was warranted.
SHE Transmission’s two Cairngorms National Park schemes would see 12km of overhead line (OHL) and 46 existing transmission towers near the villages of Boat of Garten and Nethy Bridge replaced with underground cabling.
As part of the SHE Transmission’s VISTA (Visual Impact of Scottish Transmission Assets) initiative, we will be installing a 132kV twin cable section of the existing 132kV double overhead line (OHL) circuit between Beauly and Boat of Garten
The electricity and gas markets regulator, Ofgem, is responsible for administering a £500m fund for GB electricity transmission owners to mitigate the impact of existing electricity infrastructure on the visual amenity of nationally designated landscapes. This is part of the RIIO-T1 Price Controls that incentives and regulates how transmission owners operate, covering the eight year period from April 2013 to March 2021.
The primary objective of VISTA is to use the Ofgem funding to deliver the maximum benefit for nationally designated landscapes in the north of Scotland transmission network. This will be achieved by delivering projects that offer significant reductions in visual impact, while avoiding unwanted economic and environmental impacts.
The Boat of Garten section will look to remove overhead line infrastructure north of Boat of Garten by installing underground cables in place of the current 132kV overhead line. The exact length of underground cable will be approximately 4km between Docharn and the substation east of Boat of Garten. The project will require the identification of a cable route and sites for sealing-ends where the line will pass from overhead to underground, in the vicinity of Docharn.
The Nethy Bridge section will look to remove overhead line infrastructure to the north of Nethey bridge by installing underground cables in place of the current 132kV overhead line. The exact length of the underground cable is likely to extend approximately 7km between the substation east of Boat of Garten to the edge of the forestry near Castle Roy, north east of Nethy Bridge. The project will require the identification of a cable route and sites for sealing ends to the east where the line will pass from overhead to underground.
Ofgem have made no link between the proportion of assets within National Parks and National Scenic Areas (NSA’s) within each Transmission Operator’s operational area, and the amount of funding available to them.
All financially and technically feasible mitigation options that fall within the scope of our Vista policy are open for consideration for project development.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks is the trading name of Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution Limited, Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc and Southern Electric Power Distribution plc.
Related Projects: VISTA - Boat of Garten to Nethy Bridge
Related Projects: VISTA - Boat of Garten to Nethy Bridge
Related Projects: VISTA - Boat of Garten to Nethy Bridge
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