SSEN starts reinforcement work at Tomatin

The company is carrying out the work as part of its Knocknagael-Tomatin reinforcement project.

The project, which has been in development since 2012, will see the construction of a new 275kV overhead line between an existing substation at Knocknagael to a new substation in Glen Kyllachy, 5km from the village of Tomatin.

SSEN has worked closely with the community throughout the development of the project and in 2015 changed the location of the new substation from a site close to the road to a less visible position in Glen Kyllachy based on feedback from early consultation events. The substation received planning consent in November 2016 with the overhead line then consented in August 2017.

Simon Robertson, lead project manager at SSEN, said: “We understand the importance of working responsibly with the local community, particularly during the early development stages and I am pleased that we were able to come up with a solution that met the technical and environmental requirements as well as addressing local community considerations raised during the consultation process.

“We are already working with our contractors to ensure that the views of the local community continue to be taken into account during the delivery of the works. We have established community liaison groups in Tomatin and Farr and these are already helping achieve a collaborative approach to successful project delivery.”

The project is being constructed in mainly upland terrain with significant challenges in terms of long access tracks, steep gradients, wind and weather.

It is scheduled to be complete by November 2019 and will enable the connection of renewable generation whilst strengthening the security of supply to local homes and businesses. Once complete, 24km of existing 132kV line between Farr and Knocknagael will be removed.

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