SSEN Transmission has announced the successful energisation of the new extension to Abernethy Substation following 24 months of extensive upgrade works.

The extension of the substation will facilitate the connection of up to 50 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy to the local electricity distribution network – enough to power around 60,000 homes each year.

The extension was required to the existing 132 kilovolt (kV) substation at Abernethy to enable an increase in electricity capacity, which will allow for the future connection and onward transportation of clean renewable energy generated in the area.

Delivered by principal contractor Freedom Group, the project involved the installation of new electrical components including busbar and 132kV outdoor switchgear to enable the increase in energy, along with an expansion of the substation footprint into the field immediately north of the existing substation to make way for the new electrical equipment and upgrades to the infrastructure.

This included the successful installation of two new 120 MVA transformer units, each weighing around 100 tonnes, which arrived on site after a long journey from manufacturer SGB in Germany. These units will play a major role in increasing electricity capacity at the substation to help transport clean renewable energy generated in the area.

The substation extension has also used two new 132kV SF6-free circuit breakers as part of the development, which use an environmentally friendly technology to help insulate the equipment.

Now that the new equipment has been successfully energised, the previous equipment has been removed and recycled, with some parts stored as back up components for use elsewhere on the network.

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To ensure safe access for machinery during the substation extension, the local Ferryfield road next to the project was widened from a single to a double lane up to the A913 junction, which has also helped provide safer access to the nearby local businesses in the area.

Teams have been careful to ensure any environmental impact has been carefully mitigated, with teams working towards a positive biodiversity net gain result for the project – meaning biodiversity is expected to improve by at least 10% directly due to the environmental initiatives set by the team.

Tree planting is set to get underway at the site later this month, with around 1,300 native trees and shrubs due to be installed around the substation perimeter including oak, hazel, silver birch and field maple. In addition, a new native wildflower meadow will be sown in the spring across an area within the substation boundary which used to form part of a field, which is expected to encourage bird species and insects to flourish.

Great care was taken to preserve mature trees around Abernethy substation with minimal tree felling required to make way for the extension. This winter, bird and bat boxes will also be installed amongst some of the mature trees within the substation area ahead of next year's nesting season, helping local wildlife species to thrive.

Ewan Macfarlane, SSEN Transmission Project Manager, said: "The successful energisation of Abernerthy Substation is testament to the hard work and dedication of the teams involved in this project, and I'm delighted to see the extension online and contributing to the local electricity supply.

"This extension will allow up to 50 megawatts of new renewable energy generation to connect to the electricity grid – enough to power up to 60,000 homes annually – which will help make a real difference as we work to deliver a network for net zero."

Dave Hunter, SSEN Transmission Consents and Environment Manager, added: "Taking care of the environment has been key during this project and we've been careful to limit our impact as much as possible including arranging the work to avoid felling some of the more mature woodland around the substation site.

"We're now beginning a programme of native tree and shrub planting over the coming months which will help create new habitats for local wildlife, and our new wildflower meadow next spring will help local flora and fauna to thrive.

"We're on track to increase biodiversity at the site by exceeding our target of a 10% net gain, which is fantastic and demonstrates SSEN Transmission's continued commitment to leaving a positive environmental legacy at all of our sites."

With the substation extension now energised, all remaining landscaping and planting will progress over the winter months with completion expected in early spring.

Project Manager Ewan Macfarlane continued: "Working with the local community, local businesses and stakeholders has been extremely important to the success of this project, and as ever we thank them for their patience and support while we've worked to complete the substation extension at Abernethy. We'll make sure to continue to keep them informed while the final remaining phases of work at the substation takes place."