Planning consent has been granted for the Greens 400kV substation project, near New Deer in Aberdeenshire.
The project is a key element of SSEN Transmission’s proposed Beauly to Peterhead 400kV overhead line (OHL) connection, and will help deliver high voltage, clean renewable power for connection to homes and businesses, supporting national energy security and clean power targets.
Today’s decision by Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee follows two years of development and extensive community and stakeholder engagement by SSEN Transmission, including three face-to-face consultation rounds with over 800 attendees and more than 130 formal responses to proposals.
The project will involve construction of a new outdoor 400kV Air Insulated Switchgear (AIS) substation located east of Turriff and south of Cuminestown – from where it will connect to the proposed Beauly to Peterhead 400kV OHL, and to the existing New Deer substation via underground cable.
It is part of Perth-headquartered SSEN Transmission’s £22bn+ investment plan and part of a wider renewal of the electricity transmission system across Great Britain that is required to enable the homegrown low-carbon electricity needed to deliver clean power and energy security targets. The need for the project has been independently assessed and approved by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and energy regulator, Ofgem.
The substation site was identified as the best from an environmental and technical perspective – including in terms of access routes and its connectivity to existing and proposed OHL infrastructure.
A series of pre-application consultation events gave members of the public the opportunity to help shape the substation proposals including landscape and screening measures to reduce visual impact, and proposals for Biodiversity Net Gain.
Alison Hall, Director of Development for SSEN Transmission, said: “We welcome today’s decision, which is another step towards unlocking the homegrown low-carbon electricity generation required to help deliver a cleaner, more secure and affordable electricity system for current and future generations.
“Investing to upgrade our electricity transmission network is also a major driver of jobs and economic activity, and we are already seeing the positive impact of our projects in the north-east of Scotland – including the start of an upgrade to our existing New Deer substation, which will help support local businesses and see around 40 working at the site during peak construction.
“In addition, our community benefit funding proposals, ambitious housing legacy commitments, and the creation of new jobs within SSEN Transmission and our supply chain partners – including graduate and apprenticeship opportunities – are also helping deliver a positive legacy in local communities”
Nick Brown, Development Portfolio Manager at SSEN Transmission, added: "In developing our proposals, we have sought to achieve the best balance from an environmental and technical perspective taking account of the views of the local community and stakeholders with whom we have consulted extensively.
"We would like to thank all those who provided feedback as part of our pre-application consultation events, which have been key in helping shape our proposals.”
Unlocking local benefits, supporting jobs and delivering economic growth
The Greens 400kV substation forms a key part of SSEN Transmission’s plans to invest at least £22bn in the period until March 2031, potentially rising to £31.7bn. It represents one of the largest ever private investment programmes in Scotland and will act as a major driver of jobs and economic growth across the country.
Economic analysis, which has been independently peer reviewed by leading consultancy BiGGAR Economics, forecast that if delivered in full, the potential £31.7bn total investment could support up to 17,500 jobs in Scotland, including 8,400 in the north of Scotland. It would also add up to £7bn in value to the Scottish economy, including £3bn in the north of Scotland.
Reflecting the significant expansion of the transmission network planned across the north of Scotland, SSEN Transmission continues to grow its workforce, which has increased from around 400 in 2019 to over 2,500 today with plans to recruit around 600 new roles in 2025/2026.
Following the publication of the UK Government’s Community Benefit Guidance for new electricity transmission infrastructure, over £100m of community benefit funding is expected across the north of Scotland, with the Greens substation alone expected to deliver £530,000 of community benefit funding.
SSEN Transmission’s Pathway to 2030 programme is also expected to support the development of at least 1,000 new homes across the north of Scotland, creating a legacy in the communities that will host construction workers by delivering housing that will support local need once projects are completed.
SSEN Transmission is currently exploring sites that will deliver legacy housing, including land for future housing development, across the north of Aberdeenshire.