A major milestone has been reached on the £1.1 billion Caithness-Moray transmission project.

SSE has successfully cleared rocks and boulders along the proposed route for two high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables which will carry up to 1,200MW of electricity between Caithness and Moray.

The cables will be installed from a purpose-built cable laying vessel in two phases, the first from Noss to the midpoint of the cable route and the second from Portgordon to the end of the previously laid cable.

-- Advertisement --

Following this, the newly dug trench will be backfilled using the seabed material previously excavated during the trenching operation.

Once completed in 2018, the Caithness-Moray project is forecasted to deliver a £634.5 million boost to the UK economy.

Lead Project Manager Brian Mitchell said: "This is a significant milestone for the Caithness-Moray project as the plough has literally cleared the way to allow our team to start laying the cables that will enable electricity to be transported between Caithness and Moray.

"Once complete, the Caithness Moray subsea link will significantly reinforce the north of Scotland transmission network and aid our transition to a low-carbon economy."

(LM/MH)