Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution is pleased to confirm it has successfully re-connected and energised the decommissioned Pentland Firth East subsea cable, returning the network to normal operation.
SSEN progressed a project to temporarily reconnect the decommissioned cable following a fault to one of the two 33 kilovolt electricity distribution submarine cables connecting Orkney to the Scottish mainland.
This work included the construction of 1.5km of overhead line between the old and new subsea landing points in Hoy, which started on Tuesday 23 March. Construction progressed ahead of schedule with successful testing and energisation of the cable completed yesterday evening (Tuesday 30 March).
Restrictions to electricity generation export have now been lifted and SSEN would like to thank all generators connected to Orkney's Active Network Management System for their patience as its teams worked to restore the network to normal operation.
SSEN continues to carry out investigations on the faulted Pentland Firth East cable to assess the fault, the repair methodology and potential repair timescales.