The Client
Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSE) in the UK is the regional electricity distribution division, serving 3.9 million customers in north Scotland and southern England. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Transmission (SSEN Transmission) is responsible for the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland, maintaining and investing in the high voltage 132kV, 220kV, 275kV, and 400kV electricity transmission network. They are the electricity transmission subsidiary of SSE plc. SSEN Transmission's network consists of underground and subsea cables, overhead lines on wooden poles or steel towers, and electricity substations.
Their Needs
To support the continued growth in onshore and offshore renewables across the north of Scotland, further investment in network infrastructure is needed to connect renewable power and transport it from the source to areas of demand across the country.
Following extensive system studies, Spittal to Beauly was identified as a critical corridor in establishing this required reinforcement, connecting into new substation sites at Spittal, Loch Buidhe, and Beauly along the way. SSEN engaged Groundline Engineering to undertake a stage 3 alignment study for the Beauly – Loch Buidhe – Spittal 400kV connection. Alignment will reviewed corridors as highlighted from previous route assessment report: “ RSR-BEA-LB-SP-01 see figure below.
Why They Chose Us
Groundline Engineering was chosen for this project due to our competitive pricing and previous successful collaborations with SSEN on various projects. Although this was our first major routing job for SSEN, we demonstrated our ability to adapt and learn quickly, gaining an appreciation for the importance of various criteria in route planning.
What We Did
Groundline Engineering provided a full construction package, including:
* Plotting three potential routes
* Reviewing proposed routes and comparing them against environmental, social, and engineering criteria
* Reporting the decision-making process during route planning
* Minimizing the number of high deviation towers on the route
* Providing quantities and proposed accesses related to the proposed routes
Challenges
We faced several challenges, including learning SSEN's requirements for tower spotting, mastering the software "Optioneer," and collaborating with experts in environmental, planning permission and wayleaves, and construction fields.
The Results
Our work assisted in the tender of an SSE framework. The next stage of micro spotting proceeded smoothly after the completion of our work, with the following contractor finalizing tower positions based on our proposed routes.
