SSEN Transmission, Scottish Hydro Electric’s overhead lines and cables division, has welcomed the decision by Scottish ministers to grant Section 37 consent for the ‘reconductoring’ project between Alyth in Perth & Kinross and Tealing in Angus.
SSEN Transmission is 75 per cent owned by SSE plc, and 25 per cent by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board.
Reconductoring involves upgrading transmission lines by replacing the overhead conductors and insulators – the components that carry electricity between towers – with newer, often more efficient versions between existing transmission towers.
More than 10,000 objections have been lodged against the 70-mile chain of pylons measuring 190ft high. The Save Our Mearns protest group has described the plans as a ‘monstrosity’, and say rural communities have been an ‘afterthought’ in the planning process.
The consent decision will see the existing overhead lines, insulators, and fittings between Alyth and Tealing upgraded from 275kV to operate at 400kV, increasing the lines capacity to enable the continued growth in low carbon electricity generation across the north of Scotland.
Receiving Section 37 consent from Scottish ministers marks
a major milestone for the
project and a significant step forward towards construction.
Work is expected to begin in 2026, with reconductoring due to get underway in 2028.
The project is part of a wider upgrade of the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland, designed to transport large volumes of clean power to homes and businesses across the country – helping to meet energy security and clean power targets for Scotland and the UK.
The Alyth-Tealing 400kV project is part of SSEN Transmission’s Pathway to 2030 programme – a major programme of electricity transmission projects that are part of the business’s plans to invest £22bn in the coming years.
