NKT confirms that it has a capacity reservation from SSEN Transmission for Scottish power cable projects that it was previously given status as a preferred bidder.

A press release said that NKT has now reserved production and offshore installation capacity for SSEN Transmission for power cables for the two HVDC transmission lines that link Western Isles and Spittal-Peterhead. The projects will strengthen the interconnection of the Scottish transmission grid.

The parties have agreements ensuring production and offshore installation capacity for the 525 kV XLPE high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power cable systems for the two Scottish projects. NKT will be responsible for both on- and off-shore cable systems for the two links. The combined value of the two projects has not been set but is estimated to top €1 billion. Both projects are scheduled for completion in 2030.

“The reservation of production and offshore installation capacity is an important milestone in the great collaboration with SSEN Transmission and our continuous support of the green transition in Scotland,” said NKT President and CEO Claes Westerlind. “The projects are an excellent fit with our decision to expand our high-voltage production capacity in Karlskrona and add a new market leading cable-laying vessel to our fleet.”

The Western Isles and Spittal-Peterhead offshore HVDC transmission links are part of The Pathway to 2030 Holistic Network Design (HND) which is a major upgrade of the electricity transmission network across Great Britain that is required to help meet U.K. and Scottish Governments 2030 renewable energy and climate change targets. The Western Isles cable route calls for some 160 km of 525 kV HVDC cable, to be completed by the end of 2024, and the Spittal-Peterhead cable route calls for some 220 km of 525kV HVDC, to be completed by the end of 2025.