SSEN Transmission has made significant progress in its offshore wind infrastructure development, selecting Hitachi Energy as the preferred supplier for the HVDC converter system in two HVDC transmission links offshore Scotland. The Western Isles and Spittal-Peterhead subsea links will be part of a larger framework agreement that aims to deploy up to five HVDC power corridors, enabling the efficient transfer of renewable power from northern Scotland to areas of higher consumption in the south.

Each connection system boasts an impressive capacity of up to 2 GW and a voltage level of 525 kV, collectively providing a total of 10 GW of renewable electricity capacity. This green energy output would suffice to power approximately 10 million homes in the UK. The HVDC links are expected to be operational starting in 2030.

Collaborating with SSE on various HVDC projects in the UK, including the Caithness Moray and Shetland links, Hitachi Energy continues to be at the forefront of innovative energy solutions at scale and speed. Recently, the company also entered into a substantial agreement with TenneT to supply 12 GW of offshore wind connections in the Netherlands and Germany.

In addition, SSEN Transmission announced that Sumitomo Electric and its offshore installation partner Van Oord Offshore Wind UK have joined the Framework of Contractors to potentially undertake future subsea cable projects, alongside NKT. These upcoming projects will be detailed later this year when National Grid ESO reveals the required electricity transmission infrastructure to connect and transport ScotWind's full ambition of around 28 GW of offshore wind. The current 2030 network development plans aim to enable around 11 GW of ScotWind's full potential, and this is likely to involve several new HVDC links.

Throughout the tender process, an essential aspect considered by SSEN Transmission was promoting local content, with all three supply chain partners achieving high scores in this regard. As contract awards are completed, SSEN Transmission will unveil further plans to create jobs and drive economic growth in the north of Scotland and beyond, unlocking local and national economic opportunities resulting from these investments.