The Mainland Orkney section of Pathway 2030, which will see a massive upgrade to the energy infrastructure in Orkney and the North of Scotland by SSEN, is moving on apace at the Orkney end of things.

A public meeting was held in the Robert Rendall Building, Stromness, on Monday 30 June, to update the community on what was happening. About 60 people attended the meeting where they heard from representatives of SSEN Transmission about the 24/7 drilling at Warebeth and a future project which would link renewables in Eday to the Finstown substation.

The audience had a lot of questions but were informed that there is now a local community liaison group who had asked for this meeting to take place.

The engineering involved is impressive but for residents of Stromness living near Warebeth the 24/7 horizontal drilling is affecting their lives. Residents said that they understand why the drilling is required for the part of the package which will see the subsea cable coming ashore at Warebeth linking it with the Scottish Mainland. Audience members expressed how the noise and vibration affects them and that they would like to know how long they will have to endure it. A date of late September has been given for the completion of this stage.

Another 7 sites have been identified in Mainland where horizontal drilling will have to take place to by-pass other difficult areas, however, these will not be of the same duration as that necessary for the marine cable laying at Warebeth.

Questions were also raised about the closure of the core paths in the area. This is a very popular walking route. People complained that there has been very little information about the closure of the core paths – the section on core paths on the OIC website has been of no use to people wishing to find out when these public routes will be open. The core paths will remain closed until the work is completed – sometime in September 2025.

The development of the Finstown Substation is the most visible part of the project for anyone travelling along the main Kirkwall/Stromness road. Temporary buildings have been put up for offices, and two accommodation units with another accommodation unit still to come. The facility is estimated to be able to house 285 workers and so has other facilities on site : canteen, laundry, recreational rooms – gym, cine, games etc. The developers have a strict behaviour policy in place, however, it was hoped that the workers will be welcomed into the community. Transport will be laid on to take workers into town.

The Eday Connection

SSEN Transmission revealed their future plans for connecting the renewables produced in Eday to the Finstown Substation. This is in the early stages of development but where it comes to land in Mainland will involve either overhead or underground cabling to get to the Finstown Substation. A marine cable will link to a132kv grid supply point in Eday. The location is still to be decided.

Gareth Davies of OREF (Orkney Renewable Energy Forum) made a plea to the representatives of SSEN Transmission that they need to be having discussions with them now on the Eday project. OREF and the Eday community have extensive experience in renewables and need to be involved at this stage – not some later date when decisions have already been arrived at.

There should also be conversations with NESO (National Energy System Operator) said Gareth Davies. NESO was set up as a result of the  UK’s 2023 Energy Act.  It states on its website:

We will support the delivery of the Pathway to 2030 and Beyond 2030 network requirements and Clean Power to 2030

Up until this point, however, it has not been involved in the Orkney part of Pathway 2030 being delivered by SSEN Transmission.

This was an informative meeting which answered many questions – coming from the audience – but also left much unanswered. The impressive engineering that is taking place in Orkney is a credit to the skills of each of the separate developers, but lack of communication with islanders and with the renewables expertise that there is in Orkney is disappointing.

For people who have questions, including if they wish to communicate with the members of the newly formed Community Liaison Group there is an email address:

Orkney.Engagement@sse.com for the ongoing works, the Eday project, and to contact members of the Community Liaison Group.

LCD@sse.com for the distribution side of the project

SSEN Orkney Project : Pathway to 2030

Fiona Grahame

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