Energy supplier Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission has energised a 275kV substation in Alyth, Scotland.
Working with their principal contractor Siemens BAM, the new £86 million substation is part of a wider ambition to reinforce the East Coast transmission network. In doing so, this will help support new grid connections for renewable generation in the north of Scotland, something the firm said it was committed to doing in 2022.
The substation has been designed so that it can be increased to 400kV in the future with what SSEN has expressed will be “minimal operational changes”. This will help facilitate “major new renewable generation connections in the future”, SSEN said.
SSEN said in a statement that the Alyth substation involved installing new 275kV double busbar gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and reactive compensation equipment. The project also saw the installation of a new dual-voltage 120-tonne SCT transformer.
Biodiversity was another important factor in the substation’s development. In total, SSEN’s studies show that the local area has seen a 50% increase in biodiversity since teams started arriving.
The site includes various ecological improvements, including plans to plant almost 5,400 local native species of trees, install two bat boxes, install nine bird and red squirrel feeders, sow native grass and meadow flower seeds, and create a number of habitat piles of fallen branches and wood from nearby trees.
Commenting on the project, SSEN Transmission project manager Muhammad Usman Faisal said: “The energisation of the Alyth Substation marks a significant achievement in the lifespan of this project.
“It enhances the north-to-south power transfer capacity of our network, which not only helps us significantly to deliver a network for net zero emissions, but in turn improves our network’s operability, reliability, and safety.”
