SSEN Transmission has announced new public consultation events at Blackhillock and New Deer to view proposals for two new substations which will help support the growth of renewable energy in the north of Scotland.

Following recent significant snowfall in the area which has impacted travel in the region, the events have been moved to take place in two weeks' time as a safety precaution. The two consultation events near Blackhillock and New Deer were originally planned to take place this week, and have instead been rescheduled as follows:

• Tuesday 21 March, 2pm – 7pm - Longmore Community Hall, Banff Rd, Keith, AB55 5HA

• Wednesday 22 March, 1pm – 7pm – New Deer Public Hall, Fordyce Terrace, New Deer, AB53 6BE

The events are an opportunity for members of the public to view proposals to develop two new 400kV substations, one at Blackhillock and one at New Deer, to support the growth of renewable energy in the area and increase the amount of energy which can be transported. Attendees will also be able to interact with SSEN Transmission's bespoke 3D model, offering a 360-degree view of the proposed substation sites.

The substation developments are part of a wider plan to upgrade the electricity transmission network between Beauly and Peterhead, which will enable significant growth of new renewable electricity and support the transition away from fossil fuels, helping secure the country's future energy independence and energy security.

As the Transmission Network Owner in the North of Scotland, SSEN Transmission is responsible for connecting new energy generation to the GB grid and transporting it to where is it needed via a high voltage 132kV, 275kV, 400kV electricity transmission network. Home to some of the UK's greatest renewable energy resources, the north of Scotland electricity transmission network has a strategic role to play in supporting delivery of the UK and Scotland's net zero targets.

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This includes the need for a new overhead electricity transmission line between Beauly, Blackhillock, New Deer and Peterhead, which has been identified by the GB Electricity System Operator, National Grid ESO, as 'essential' to deliver Government 2030 targets for offshore wind. By enabling the growth in low carbon, homegrown power, the project will also support the UK Government's British Energy Security Strategy, helping deliver future energy independence and energy security by reducing the country's dependence on, and price exposure to, volatile global wholesale gas markets.

The proposed project will involve building a new 400kV overhead line connection between Beauly, Blackhillock, New Deer and Peterhead. Additional substation infrastructure will also be required, including the two new substations at Blackhillock and New Deer. The events planned for later this month will involve sharing information around plans for the two new substations, and follow on from a series of information events which were carried out in September last year to share more about the wider Beauly to Peterhead project.

SSEN Transmission Senior Development Project Manager Catherine Swan said: "Safety is of paramount importance to us, and with the recent snowfall across the north east today and Yellow Met Office warnings for snow and ice over the next few days we have made the decision to move our planned consultation events by two weeks to 21 and 22 March. We hope this will ensure all those with an interest in our proposals can safely attend our events and share any feedback they have.

"The two new substations at Blackhillock and New Deer will play a major role in the wider Beauly to Peterhead project, which has been identified as essential to support Government targets and will be key to unlocking renewable energy generation in the north of Scotland, enabling clean electricity to be transmitted to areas of demand across the county. The project will also help deliver against Government's plans to secure energy independence and energy security by enabling the growth in low carbon, homegrown power, reducing the country's dependence on, and price exposure to, volatile global wholesale gas markets.

"Our plans are still in the early stages of developing and as a stakeholder-led business, we would encourage anyone with an interest in the project to attend one of our consultation events later this month to learn more about the proposals, meet the project team and share feedback for consideration. This feedback will help inform the more detailed development stages of our project, and we look forward to meeting with interested stakeholders later this month."