Nexans seals Orkney interconnector deal

Paris-based cabling firm Nexans has signed a contract with SSEN Transmission for the electrical transmission link project between the Orkney Islands and the UK mainland.

The contract, which follows the capacity reservation agreement signed last November, covers both the production and the installation of the cable. The 220kV high voltage alternating current (HVAC) cable will be the largest capacity cable linking the Orkney Islands to mainland Scotland and will span 53 km offshore and 16 km onshore route.

The so-called Orkney Link will exchange up to 220 MW of renewable energy and is seen as one of the critical steps in bolstering the UK power network, supplying demand centres in the North of Scotland and beyond with energy from one of the world’s greatest resources of renewable electricity.

The interconnector will be manufactured at Nexans’ plants in Halden Norway for the offshore sections, Charleroi, Belgium for the onshore cable sections. Nexans said it will utilise one of its cable laying vessels for the project, which adds to its portfolio of interconnectors including the Celtic Interconnector and the Crete-Attica Interconnector. Project delivery is expected in 2027.