People across Shetland are being encouraged to provide their feedback on significant plans for the island's future electricity infrastructure, with the consultation period for proposed new subsea transmission connections still active.

This follows a series of well-attended marine consultation events held last month.

The projects under consideration include the Shetland 2 High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Link, which would provide a second vital subsea connection between Shetland and mainland Scotland, further strengthening energy security and facilitating renewable energy export. Alongside this is the Yell High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) Connection, designed to link the island of Yell to the main electricity transmission system on mainland Shetland.

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Around 100 individuals participated in the recent consultation events held in Brae, Burravoe in Yell, and Voe, where they gained further insight into the proposals. The consultation period for the marine elements of both projects remains open until Thursday, 7 August. Residents are invited to submit their views online or by contacting [email protected].

These events mark the initial phase of consultation for the projects, with further engagement planned for later this year focusing on the onshore elements. SSEN Transmission, the developer behind the schemes, intends to return to the islands in September to provide an overview of the proposed onshore infrastructure.

Cath Swan, Lead Project Manager for the Yell Connection Project at SSEN Transmission, highlighted the importance of community input. "We are holding our September event in response to feedback from the local community that they’d like to see more information on our own proposed projects and other developers’ plans. This will help people form a fuller picture of our planned infrastructure ahead of full public consultations later this year, and demonstrates our willingness to respond to requests from the local community that will help enable deeper understanding," she said.

Ms Swan thanked attendees of last month’s events for their valuable insights, which will inform the development process for each project, and reiterated the call for all interested parties to provide their feedback before the closing date.