SSEN Transmission and their principal contractors Siemens and BAM Nuttall have announced that work will start on the construction of a new substation on the outskirts of Alyth this month.
The new £86 million substation will take 28 months to construct and will form a key part of SSEN Transmission’s reinforcement of the East Coast transmission network, helping to support the connection of new renewable generation in the north of Scotland to the grid, enabling clean energy to be taken from where it is generated to where it is needed.
The substation will be built with an operational capacity of 275kV and will be ready for minimal upgrades to bring it up to 400kV operation for 2026. This increase to 400kV operation will deliver the full capacity increase required to facilitate major new renewable generation connections in the future. To enable the substation to connect into the existing 275kV overhead line (OHL) which runs between Fetteresso, Tealing and Kincardine, 3 new transmission towers will also be constructed.
Ahead of breaking ground onsite SSEN Transmission have been busy over the last 6 months carrying out pre-construction improvement works, widening approximately 2km of Balendoch Road which connects with the B954 from Meigle and the demolition and reinstatement of the disused railway bridge.
SSEN Transmission have been working closely with the local community through the development of the project, with their feedback helping to inform the final design of the substation. To continue this high level of engagement SSEN Transmission has established a Community Liaison Group (CLG) ahead of construction starting, holding the first meeting in March this year. The group will be a regular open forum to share project updates on construction, mitigation measures and key milestones. SSEN Transmission encourages anyone who might be interested in finding out more about the CLG to contact Community Liaison Manager Louise Anderson via the project website.
Archie Munro, Lead Project Manager ahead of work getting underway said: “It has taken a lot of hard work to get to this stage, myself and the team are excited to get started, so I am really pleased that we will soon be breaking the first ground on site.
“Substations like Alyth play an important role in the race to net zero emissions, without which we wouldn’t be able to connect much needed new renewable generation to the grid. As a team we are proud to be playing our part in delivering a network for net zero.”
Keen to deliver business opportunities locally on the project, back in March the project team held a meet the buyer event where local companies could engage with SSEN Transmission and their Principal Contractor Siemens BAM, to find out more about the project, the skills required and the possible tenders on offer. The benefits of this engagement can already be seen with local people employed on the project to undertake the pre-construction improvement, which is expected to grow over the coming months as main construction kicks off.
It is going to be a busy time for the team over the next couple of months, they are hoping for some favourable Scottish summer weather as they establish the site compound, take delivery of the site offices and get to work on the substation foundations.
To get in contact or to find out more about the project please visit: https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/alyth-275kv-substation-reactive-compensation/
