SSEN Transmission has started work to expand its New Deer electricity substation in Aberdeenshire as part of a wider effort to strengthen Scotland’s electricity grid and support future renewable energy projects in the north.
The upgrade involves adding four new connection bays to the existing facility, which was first commissioned in 2019. All construction will be carried out within the substation’s current footprint, the company said.
Balfour Beatty has been appointed as the principal contractor for the project, collaborating with local firms AJ Engineering from Forres and Global Infrastructure Scotland based in Beauly. SSEN said the contracts demonstrate its commitment to supporting local businesses and jobs.
Paul Cooley, SSEN’s director of onshore capital delivery, described the start of work as “a significant step in our wider onshore Pathway to 2030 programme of transmission infrastructure for the north of Scotland.”
Cooley added, “The project will support about 40 workers at peak and will play a major role in connecting new renewable energy to the grid and help to transport clean energy to where it is needed.”
The expansion forms part of SSEN’s Pathway to 2030 initiative, which aims to invest at least £22 billion in substations, overhead lines, subsea, and underground cables across the region.
Tony Wilson, managing director at Balfour Beatty, said, “Our appointment is testament to our unrivalled expertise and the capability of our people.”
Iain Henderson, chief executive of Global Infrastructure, said his company looked forward to “playing a significant part in the successful delivery” of the project.
