Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Transmission (SSEN Transmission) has started drilling works at Rattray Head, near Peterhead, as part of the 2GW Spittal to Peterhead high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable project.
The operation, which started this month, marks a significant stage in constructing the link between onshore and offshore electricity infrastructure in north-east Scotland.
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Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology is being used for the installation, with contractors undertaking work beneath the coastline to create a 1.7km underground connection from the onshore compound at Rattray Head to an offshore exit in the seabed.
According to the company, this is expected to be among the longest forward-drilled landfall HDD operations carried out for power cables.
Once the drilling is complete, four ducts will be placed under the coastline and the nearshore environment.
Three ducts will hold cables for the HVDC link’s operation, while a fourth will remain as a spare for future use.
This project forms a central part of a planned upgrade to Scotland’s electricity transmission network aimed at supporting energy security and the move towards lower-carbon power.
The installation at Rattray Head is a technically complex element of the wider Spittal to Peterhead HVDC project. It will ultimately enable renewable electricity generated in the north of Scotland to be transferred to communities and businesses further south.
The full 166km subsea cable will link Sinclair’s Bay in Caithness to the recently approved Netherton hub near Peterhead, connecting with the proposed Banniskirk Hub in Caithness.
SSEN Transmission expects the drilling work to take around 12 months.
Cable supplier NKT and its sub-contractor LMR are carrying out the HDD operation, providing engineering expertise and specialist equipment.
SSEN Transmission Spittal to Peterhead HVDC subsea link project director Niall Macleod said: “The start of drilling at Rattray Head represents a significant milestone for the project. Horizontal directional drilling allows us to install critical infrastructure beneath the coastline while minimising impacts on the surrounding environment and local communities.
“Reaching this milestone is testament to the extensive planning and collaboration that has gone into preparing for the execution of these works.”
The subsea link forms part of SSEN Transmission’s network investment programme, valued at more than £22bn ($29.54bn), intended to upgrade the north of Scotland’s electricity grid.
In April, SSEN Transmission began construction on the Spittal to Peterhead subsea cable, creating an energy connection between Caithness and Aberdeenshire.
