A consortium of ABB and Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES), has been awarded a five-year substation delivery framework agreement by Scottish Hydro Electric (SHE) Transmission plc, the SSE Group company which is the licensed electricity Transmission Owner (TO) in the north of Scotland.
The framework agreement will see the ABB and BBES consortium carry out a number of 275 kilovolt (kV) and 132 kV gas insulated switchgear (GIS) and air insulated switchgear (AIS) substation projects as part of SHE Transmission’s major infrastructure programme to increase the capacity of its network to transport electricity. This grid reinforcement is intended to maximise the opportunity for renewable generation within the north of Scotland and optimise the country’s natural resources.
The initial projects within the framework will be 275 kV and 132 kV GIS and AIS substations in the Caithness area, a 132 kV GIS substation in Orkney and a 132 kV AIS substation in Shetland.
The consortium will be based in Kintore, Aberdeenshire and will be supported by ABB offices in East Kilbride and Stone, Staffordshire. The long term contract will create a number of new jobs in the Scottish region while also creating potential opportunities for local business in the areas where the construction activities will take place
"This framework agreement for SHE Transmission is a very important development that continues our drive to both expand and diversify ABB’s customer base across the UK utility sector," said Jon Downs ABB’s Director for Utility Substations in the UK. "With new jobs being created, it also continues the growth of the team we are building in Scotland to support the major business opportunities resulting from the country’s commitment to renewable energy.’