Work to install 19km of underground cabling to connect the Seagreen wind farm to the national grid is under way in Angus.
The cables will run from Carnoustie to a new dedicated substation currently under construction in Tealing.
Preperation work has already closed required the temporary closure of the Buddon Links golf course.
Developers have vowed to carry out the work with the “least amount of disruption possible.”
It follows work starting on the operations and maintenance base at the Port of Montrose last month.
What is the work taking place?
The cable installation work is being delivered by global cable manufacturer Nexans and is scheduled to be completed by summer next year.
Full details of the cable’s route from Carnoustie to Tealing can be found here.
When complete, Seagreen – a joint venture between SSE Renewables and Total – will be Scotland’s single largest source of renewable energy, providing a significant contribution to Scotland’s net-zero ambition.
It marks a major milestone in the construction of the 1,075MW 114-turbine development 27km off the coast of the county, which when operational, will power up to 1.3m homes throughout the country.
Grateful for co-operation
Onshore electrical infrastructure project manager Steven Reid from SSE Renewables is responsible for the cable installation project.
He said: “It’s great that this work is underway and to see the Seagreen Wind Farm becoming a reality.
“Everyone on the project including our colleagues at Nexans and our other sub-contractors have worked hard to get to this stage.
“We’re extremely grateful to all who live along the route for their co-operation and understanding and look forward to delivering the 19km of cabling safely and with the least amount of disruption possible.”
Community benefit
Seagreen Wind Farm Project is supporting a £1.8M community benefit fund which will be divided between six Community Councils in Angus.
£30,000 of this fund was recently released early to support projects in each of the areas with their immediate response and recovery from the effects of Covid-19.
Angus Council leader councillor David Fairweather visited one of the locations along the route of the cable installation near Barry.
He said: “This stage in the project marks a big step towards the delivery of the Seagreen wind farm which is important to the Angus economy both in terms of jobs but also because of the benefits that the projects will bring to local communities.
“I’m very grateful to the people of Angus for their patience and co-operation during the cabling work and I am confident that safety is the top priority for both the Seagreen project team and the team at Nexans.
“I’ll be following the progress of the Seagreen Wind Farm project closely and look forward to seeing the benefits in terms of quality jobs, community funds and sustainable, low carbon energy which have been created across Angus coming to fruition.”
