SCOTLAND can help the UK achieve net zero carbon emissions by connecting renewable energy sources to the national grid, but it will cost at least £2.4 billion, according to a new plan from SSEN.
SSEN says the plan will add only £2 a year to the average customer's bill, but will make a major contribution to the UK and Scottish Government commitments to achieving net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 and 2045 respectively.
In a pitch to regulator Ofgem for the next price control period which will run from 2021 through to 2026, the company says its plans for electricity transmission in the north of Scotland and remote islands include upgrading distribution lines down the Est coast of Scotland from Peterhead to the central belt with higher capacity cables – allowing more power to be transmitted south from offshore windfarms and ultimately to the national grid.
Another key part of the plan is to upgrade cables currently connecting Fort Augustus to Skye, which have reached the end of their life and are currently over-capacity – enabling the development of windfarms connecting to the network on Skye.
In a document submitted to the energy regulator yesterday, SSEN says it will reduce greenhouse emissions by a third, connect new providers and customers to the network on time and transport renewable energy to power 10 million homes. Rob McDonald, Managing Director for SSEN Transmission, said the North of Scotland was vital to efforts to cut emissions for the whole of the UK. "With our network region home to some of the UK's greatest resources of renewable energy we have a critical role to play in the fight to prevent the worst effects of climate change, connecting up more renewable energy and transporting it across the country," he said.
The proposed
