General – HVDC Subsea Cable
SSEN Transmission announced it has selected Sumitomo Electric Industries and its subsea cable installation partner, Van Oord Offshore Wind UK, (the Sumitomo Electric Van Oord Consortium) as preferred bidder for the proposed Shetland 2 High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) link subsea cable.
The need for a second HVDC link from Shetland to the main GB transmission system was confirmed by the independent Electricity System Operator, National Grid ESO, as part of their latest GB wide strategic network plan, ‘Beyond 2030’.
As well as helping enable the connection of three ScotWind offshore wind farm sites adjacent to Shetland, Shetland 2 will also support decarbonisation and energy security ambitions, alongside helping further secure Shetland’s future electricity needs.
With Shetland 2 the anchor project supporting and enabling Sumitomo Electric Industries investment in their new cable manufacturing facility at Nigg, today’s announcement is a hugely significant milestone in delivering 100s of new highly skilled supply chain jobs in the Scottish Highlands.
