SSEN Transmission has announced a major step forward in the development of a new substation at Kinardochy in rural Perthshire, with the recent completion of key earthworks at the project site.

The new substation, located around three miles from Tummel Bridge, will play a critical role in ensuring voltage limits on the transmission network remain stable and power flows can be efficiently managed, allowing for the connection of new renewable generation to the grid and helping to enable the transition to net zero emissions.

Principal contractor Siemens BAM has been delivering the main construction work on behalf of SSEN Transmission since the team first broke ground in April earlier this year, carrying out careful rock breaking work to level an area almost seven hectares in size – the equivalent of almost nine football pitches - to create space for the new substation foundation and platform. This has involved blasting some of the bedrock in the area, which was then crushed, screened and reutilised to form the substation platform and permanent access road. This limited the amount of building material which would have been imported to site using HGVs, as well as removing the need for any materials to be driven offsite for disposal.

In total, around 250,000 cubic metres of rock is expected to be reused throughout construction of the substation, saving over 50,000 vehicle journeys from a 60-mile round trip to the designated quarry to import all of the required materials. Teams estimate a saving of around 1,500 tonnes of carbon emissions in removing the need to import and export rock materials from site.

Careful consideration has been made to preserve the scenic area in which the substation will be located, with the substation itself being built into the slope of the land so it will be naturally screened by the landscape.

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Further screening bunds are also being constructed using natural material excavated from the work area to minimise the visual impact of the substation. The site will also be replanted with over 10,000 native trees as well as seeded with local wildflowers which will not only help with visual impact but also encourage greater biodiversity in the area, allowing local flora and fauna to flourish, in line with SSEN Transmission's commitment to deliver biodiversity net gain on its future projects. A section of trees to the north of the work area has also been retained to provide additional screening while the new plantings are given time to mature.

Other measures to help promote biodiversity include the installation of six red squirrel boxes, which have been installed to the north and south of the substation platform, helping to provide additional nesting spaces for the iconic species.

Last month SSEN Transmission welcomed a visit from Perth and Kinross Council's Tree and Biodiversity team, who observed the steps taken by the project team to protect the natural habitat throughout the early phases of construction of the large-scale project, including the extensive measures in place to protect nearby streams and waterways and the careful and robust daily monitoring of the site.  They also noted the extensive work taking place to protect and enhance the natural landscape and biodiversity in the area, including the initial first phase of tree planting on the screening bunds and the relocation of some of the small native trees which would have otherwise been removed due to access road construction.

Plans are in place to carry out compensatory tree planting work with Dun Coillich Community Woodland immediately to the south of the substation later in the year, where native woodland tree species will be planted to replace the commercial forestry trees which were removed to make way for construction earlier in the project.

Teams are now turning towards the next phase in the project, which will involve erecting the main substation building which will house the substation infrastructure. The substation is expected to be completed in 2024.

Gary Milne, SSEN Transmission Lead Project Manager, said: "The Kinardochy Substation project is making great progress with the completion of the main earthworks thanks to the hard work by our Principal Contractor Siemens BAM, which marks a major milestone in the project timeline.

"One of our priorities on this project was to minimise the amount of waste material generated on this scheme, and maximise reusing materials as much as possible.  We estimate that we'll reuse around 250,000 tonnes of rock as part of this development, which means we can keep materials on site and reduce the need for imports, dramatically reducing our emissions.

"Now the area has been levelled and cleared, our teams are turning to the next phase in the project which involves constructing the main substation building on the newly built platform.

"As a stakeholder-led business we'll continue to keep local residents and the community updated as we continue to progress with this project."