The connection of several windfarm developments to a substation in Finstown, a much needed subsea cable to the Scottish Mainland, and overhead or underground cabling, was the subject of a very well attended public meeting in Finstown Community Centre, on Thursday 30 January.
The meeting with representatives from SSEN Transmission and SSEN Distribution filled the hall as over 100 people crowded in to hear about the latest developments.
Unfortunately poor sound and visuals resulted in the majority of the public struggling to see and at times hear what was being said by SSEN. The Orkney News has requested copies of the slides that were shown so that we can share them on this website.
Here’s what we know so far
The construction of the Finstown substation is, at the moment, the most visible part of the project that people will be aware of. Prior to its construction an archaeological sweep was done of the site and recording of the Bronze Age structures that were uncovered.
The site will also include temporary accommodation for the workforce and after the works are all finished those areas will be cleared and returned to grass.
All the cabling, from where the power comes ashore, and along its whole route, will be underground. There are hopes, in early stages, that the route of the underground cabling could become a cycle/walkway. This would mean that the Kirkwall to Stromness main road would actually have a proper safe cycle/walk way separated off from vehicular traffic. Something that is very much needed.
The subsea cabling will link Warbeth (on the outskirts of Stromness) to Dounreay in Caithness. It is a single cable with 3 cores. The Finstown substation where the locally produced wind farm energy feeds into, will connect up to the subsea cable which leaves Orkney at Warebeth. All of those cables will be underground.
The windfarms so far involved in this project are the ones where the cabling will be underground. There are two other windfarm developments in the mix being delivered by Low Carbon : Costa Head Wind Farm (47071 MWH per annum). and Hesta Head Wind Farm. Both these projects are still in the development stage and have a capacity of 20.4MW each. Low Carbon was not at the public meeting and it is their projects which controversially plan to erect the massive overhead poles to transfer the energy from their windfarm sites to the substation.
Low Carbon’s website states (and this is from September 20 2019) “Both Hesta Head and Costa Head secured planning consent in April 2019. Once operational, the wind farms will provide significant economic benefit to the islands including a community benefit of £5,000 per MW installed and an additional £1,000 per MW installed towards fuel poverty.”
Very little has been updated about Low Carbon’s plans for several years now.
The Scottish Government’s Planning and Appeals Division (DPEA Scotland) granted planning permission for the 2 wind farms at Hesta and Costa to go ahead in Orkney. The wind farms were rejected by Orkney Islands Council and went forward to appeal. The Decision by Malcolm Mahony, a Reporter appointed by the Scottish Ministers stated: “I find that the proposal would have significant but acceptable impacts on seascape, landscape and visual amenity and on archaeological assets.”
More about that decision here:
The OIC windfarms being developed are situated at Quanterness (just outside Kirkwall), the island of Hoy, and the island of Faray. Each wind farm will contain six turbines “that are 149.9 metres in height from base to blade tip.” – Orkney Wind Farm Project. The council say that “communities across Orkney could receive a combined £432,000 each year through a location-specific Community Benefit Fund. ” The latest update on the Orkney Wind Farm Project website was 14 August 2024.
The SSEN Transmission project team held two events after the Agricultural shows in 2024 where they had information stalls: one at the end of August and another focused on the underground cable route between Warebeth and Finstown in November in Stenness Community Hall. SSEN also announced at the meeting that they will be helping to fund the clothing of the Orkney Team in the Island Games being held in Orkney from 12 – 18 July.
It is disappointing that there has been so little information and engagement with islanders in Orkney by any of the players in this massive energy infrastructure project. No wonder people feel disempowered – that this is something happening to Orkney and they are just passive onlookers when they should be active participants.
You can download a copy of the Information Booklet published by SSEN here:
If we are sent the slides which few were able to see at the public meeting held by SSEN we will publish them in The Orkney News.
Orkney has a long history in the development of renewable energy.
Fiona Grahame
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