General – cable replacement
SSEN together with principal contractor Global Offshore completed the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Skye – Harris subsea cable replacement project.
Teams from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution connected and energised the new cable on Tuesday 31 August before gradually returning the network to normal operation and reconnecting Lewis and Harris to the mainland electricity network.
The £28 million cable replacement project involved significant offshore works using specialist marine vessels – the Maersk Connector and Grand Canyon 3 – working with Global Offshore, to successfully install and protect the 33 kilovolt (kV) cable between Ardmore, Skye and Beacravik in Harris.
The project included land-based works at each shore end to connect the new cable to the existing electricity network and restore local beaches at Ardmore and Beacravik to their natural state.