Public invited by SSEN to share views on Fort Augustus electricity substation upgrades
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Members of the public are invited to share their views on proposals for upgrades to Fort Augustus substation at a consultation event next week.
The upgrades form part of a wider programme of work to upgrade the second circuit of the Beauly-Denny overhead line from 275 kilovolts (kV) to 400kV to accommodate an increase in new renewable energy generation.
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The Beauly-Denny overhead line is 137 miles long and runs from Beauly to Denny near Falkirk. It was the first 400kV overhead line built in SSEN Transmission’s network area and became fully operational in 2015. There are two circuits on the overhead line, one on either side of the steel lattice towers.
The overhead line was constructed for operation at 400kV, with one circuit operating at 400kV and the second circuit operating at 275kV.
SSEN says that due to increasing amounts of renewable electricity generation connecting to the transmission system, there is now a need to uprate the second circuit from 275kV to 400kV.
This will require an upgrade of the existing Fort Augustus substation, including installing new 400kV transformers and new electrical components.
SSEN Transmission is hosting a public consultation event on Thursday, November 30 to share more information about the planned extension to Fort Augustus substation.
The in-person event will take place at Fort Augustus Village Hall between 2pm and 7pm, and will be hosted by the project team.
SSEN Transmission project manager Rebecca Simister said: “The substation extensions at Fort Augustus form part of our Beauly-Denny 400kV project, which in turn is part of a GB-wide programme of upgrades to our critical national electricity transmission network infrastructure.
"These upgrades are key to help achieve UK and Scottish Government 2030 climate change targets, helping to deliver a pathway to Net Zero and secure the country’s future energy independence.
“We have carried out extensive studies to determine our initial proposals so far, and we are now seeking feedback from stakeholders for the proposed substation extension at Fort Augustus as part of the wider Beauly-Denny 400kV upgrade project. This feedback will then be used to help inform our designs as we further develop the project.
“As a stakeholder-led business, we will be working closely with the local community and wider stakeholders to as plans for our Fort Augustus substation extensions develop, and encourage anyone with an interest in our proposals to visit us at our Fort Augustus consultation event to share their views, which will be carefully considered as we further refine our plans.”
Feedback on the project is open until January 11 with more information here.
