Island windfarms halted for four years 15/5/13
Large wind and wave farms planned for the Western Isles have been pushed back four
years after present plans for a sub-sea interconnector were dropped.
Now it will be 2017 before the cable across the Minch will be commissioned.
Last week Hebrides News revealed that SHE Transmission - a subsidiary of Scottish
and Southern Energy (SSE) - was likely to miss the July 1st deadline to proceed with
the cable contract.
Today, SSE which operates the national gird in the north of Scotland confirmed that
it was restarting the whole tender process.
A spokesperson said: “SHE Transmission has spent over £5 million developing options,
consulting communities, applying for planning permission and engaging suppliers on
the link which, at a cost of around £700 million, is one of Scotland’s largest infrastructure
projects.
“However, while SHE Transmission awaits a decision from the UK and Scottish Governments
on how to overcome the costs faced by renewable developers on the Western Isles,
the placing of the multi-million pound cable contract by July is no longer achievable.
“As a result it will not be possible to commission a link before 2017.”
She added: “In the meantime, SHE Transmission is continuing to assess the proposed
works, in particular the construction programme and project costs, along with engaging
with the views of stakeholders including the supply chain, so that a new timetable
can be drawn up.”
The body said it faced challenges in making a “robust, economic case for funding
the Scottish island subsea links, including options for overcoming the considerable
costs for renewables developers on the islands and achieving value for money for
the consumer.”
It wants governments to come up with a solution “which would allow it to submit a
sound, economic case to (energy regulator) Ofgem to permit the construction of the
island links.”
The spokesperson added: “As major transmission infrastructure is ultimately paid
for by electricity consumers across Great Britain, SHE Transmission is required to
ensure that there is a clear economic case for investment so that consumers are protected
from undue costs arising from infrastructure for which there is insufficient requirement.”
David Gardner, Director of Transmission, said: “The issue of providing a link to
the Western Isles has been ongoing for nine years. This demonstrates the significance
of the issues that need to be addressed.
“Nevertheless, if these issues can be overcome, with changes to the existing support
framework, we stand ready to re-engage the supply chain and progress the link through
the regulatory approval process.”