Shetland

HVDC Interconnector

Shetland HVDC Connection is a high-voltage direct current submarine power cable under construction to connect Shetland to the British mainland. The interconnector starts at the Upper Kergord Valley converter station in Shetland. From the converter station an underground cable runs to a landing area in Weisdale Voe. From there, a subsea cable runs to landfall at Noss Head in Caithness, with onward connection to an HVDC switching station north of the village of Staxigoe in Caithness.

The route of the cable crosses TAT-10, TAT-14 and Atlantic Crossing 1 telecommunication cables and the Piper–Flotta oil pipeline.

The interconnector will connect to the existing 320 kV Caithness - Moray Link to form a three terminal HVDC network, with converter stations at Spittal in Caithness; Blackhillock Substation in Moray; and Upper Kergord on Shetland. The Shetland leg will have a power rating of 600 MW; the Spittal and Blackhillock converters are rated at 800 MW and 1,200 MW respectively. This will be the first multi-terminal HVDC interconnection in Europe.