Minch sub-sea cable

Work on building a near £1 billion Minch interconnector will commence once subsides are approved for the three Lewis windfarms.

The planned 600 MW sub-sea cable was on hold because of the uncertainty over financial support for exporting island generated electricity to mainland markets.

Developers of proposed windfarms by Stornoway, Eishken and North Tolsta can apply for support in the next subsidy round in early 2019.

SSE - which operates the national grid in north of Scotland - said this was an important step it was waiting for.

Developers sought a subsidy to counter the high fees of transmitting green energy from the Hebrides which is about seven times more expensive compared to a generator on the west coast mainland.

Prospects for a renewables bonanza in the islands were dashed when the Conservative government killed off subsidies for land based turbines.

Heavy lobbying by the comhairle and politicians persuaded ministers to make a special exception just for the Hebrides and Northern Isles.

The hold up prevented SSE submitting a robust case for investing in the Western Isles transmission link to the industry regulator, Ofgem.

David Gardner of SSE said: “We remain fully committed to take forward our advanced proposals for new transmission links to the Scottish islands.

SSE has been working closely with developers and key stakeholders to “develop the necessary transmission infrastructure to unlock the vast renewable potential”of the islands.

“We will now continue to engage with developers, our supply chain, Ofgem, government and other stakeholders to take forward proposals to provide new transmission connections to the Scottish island groups in a timely manner, as soon as developer commitment and regulatory approval is confirmed.”

Comhairle leader, Roddie Mackay, said: “Overall this is good news. Hopefully we will see some real progress once the (subsidy) contracts are awarded around the middle of 2019.”

Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron said the progress was down to Conservatives party.

He said: “Ruth Davidson and I have been in constant contact with the UK Government to ensure that our election commitment would come to fruition.

“The SNP and Labour have talked a good game on this but have failed to deliver. Only the Conservatives are standing up for the islands and its future.”

The Lewis interconnector will cost nearly £1 billion to install and take about 40 months to construct.

Arnish would be the land-based point for the cable to export windfarm energy under the Minch to Dundonell, near Ullapool, where it would connect to the national grid.

One planning condition will retain a corridor of land at Arnish to allow access to the shore, safeguarding future aspirations to develop a deep water berth.

Outside contractors would get the lion's share of the contracts but the council has been "working hard" to ensure island firms get work through the supply chain.

Minch sub-sea cable work could start in 2019

15 Oct 2017

Plans to build more turbines on Lewis and Harris hinge on a subsea link