Eastern HVDC Link and Associated Infrastructure Scotland Onshore Works CONSULTATION DOCUMENT Submitted by: Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Ltd Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Limited (SHETL) Eastern HVDC Link Scotland Onshore Works (FINAL JANUARY 2012) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 3 1.1 BACKGROUND............................................................................................................. 3 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE CONSULTATION DOCUMENT ............................................................. 6 1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT ................................................................................. 6 1.4 THE NEXT STAGES ...................................................................................................... 7 1.5 STATUTORY CONSENT PROCEDURE ............................................................................ 7 2.0 PROJECT NEED................................................................................................. 9 2.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 9 2.2 TRANSMISSION LICENSEES STATUTORY AND LICENCE OBLIGATIONS .......................... 12 3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................................ 14 3.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 14 3.2 SUBSTATION............................................................................................................. 14 3.3 CONVERTER STATION ............................................................................................... 14 3.4 UNDERGROUND HVDC CABLES ................................................................................ 14 3.5 CABLE LANDFALLS .................................................................................................... 14 3.6 SUBSEA CABLES ....................................................................................................... 14 4.0 METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................. 16 4.1 OVERVIEW................................................................................................................ 16 4.2 REGIONAL REVIEW ................................................................................................... 16 4.3 SITE, CORRIDOR AND LANDFALL SELECTION AND REVIEW.......................................... 17 4.4 PREFERRED SITE, CORRIDOR AND LANDFALL REVIEW ............................................... 20 5.0 REGIONAL REVIEW ........................................................................................ 21 5.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 21 5.2 OPTION AREA APPRAISAL ......................................................................................... 21 5.3 TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIAL ASSESSMENT ............................................................. 22 5.4 REGIONAL REVIEW SUMMARY ................................................................................... 22 6.0 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ........................................................................ 23 6.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 23 6.2 PETERHEAD OPTION AREA KEY FEATURES................................................................ 23 6.3 PETERHEAD OPTION AREA ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS SUMMARY ...................... 26 6.4 SITE OPTIONS, CORRIDORS AND LANDFALL ............................................................... 27 7.0 SITE, CORRIDOR AND LANDFALL REVIEW................................................. 37 7.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 37 7.2 SUBSTATION/ CONVERTER STATION OPTIONS ........................................................... 37 7.3 HVDC CABLE CORRIDOR OPTIONS ........................................................................... 43 i Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Limited (SHETL) Eastern HVDC Link Scotland Onshore Works (FINAL JANUARY 2012) 7.4 LANDFALL OPTIONS................................................................................................... 50 7.5 COMMERCIAL ASSESSMENT ...................................................................................... 60 7.6 HEALTH AND SAFETY ASSESSMENT........................................................................... 60 7.7 ENGINEERING AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT ............................................................... 60 7.8 PREFERRED COMBINED OPTION................................................................................. 62 7.9 PREFERRED OPTION CONSULTATION ........................................................................ 63 8.0 PREFERRED SITE, CORRIDOR AND LANDFALL REVIEW.......................... 65 8.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 65 8.2 CONCEPTUAL LAYOUTS AND DETAILED CORRIDORS.................................................... 65 TEXT FIGURES Figure 1.1 – Eastern HVDC Link Figure 1.2 – Eastern HVDC Link Schematic Figure 2.1 – Cumulative generation capacity Figure 2.2 – Transmission capacity requirements at the border between SHETL and SP Transmission Figure 7.1 – Sandford Bay - Near shore constraints Figure 7.2 – Cruden Bay - Near shore constraints Figure 7.3 – North of Peterhead - Near shore constraints APPENDICES FIGURES Figure 1 – Regional Review Figure 2 – Environmental Baseline Figure 3a – Site, Corridor and Landfall Review - Options Figure 3b – Site, Corridor and Landfall Review - Corridor Options Figure 4 (Map 1 to 5) – Site, Corridor and Landfall Review - Environmental Designations Figure 5 (Map 1 to 5) – Site, Corridor and Landfall Review – Planning Designations Figure 6 – Peterhead Site, Corridor and Landfall Review - Aerial Figure 7 – Preferred Site, Corridor and Landfall Review - Site Option 1 Figure 8 – Preferred Site, Corridor and Landfall Review - Site Option 2 Figure 9 – Preferred Site, Corridor and Landfall Review - Site Option 3 Figure 10 – Substation and Converter Station Elevations Figure 11 – Preferred Site, Corridor and Landfall Review - Corridor to Sandford Bay ii Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Limited (SHETL) Eastern HVDC Link Scotland Onshore Works (FINAL JANUARY 2012) 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background 1.1.1.1 The European Union has set a target that 15% of Europe’s energy requirements shall be met from renewable resources by 2020. The Scottish Government aims to exceed this, by achieving 100% of the demand within Scotland (demand being defined as gross consumption) for electricity being met from renewable sources by 2020. Scottish Hydro- Electric Transmission Ltd (SHETL) is committed to playing its part in ensuring that Scotland takes full advantage of its renewable energy potential. 1.1.1.2 At present the electricity transmission system between Scotland and England is operating at capacity via two cross-border 400 kV transmission lines. The amount of power that needs to be moved across this part of the system continues to grow and will exceed current capacity. Figure 1.1 – Eastern HVDC Link Peterhead Teesside 3 Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Limited (SHETL) Eastern HVDC Link Scotland Onshore Works (FINAL JANUARY 2012) 1.1.1.3 Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Ltd (SHETL) and National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (NGET) are accordingly proposing the development of an Eastern High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Link between Scotland and England (as shown on 1.1). 1.1.1.4 The Eastern HVDC link will increase the electricity transmission capacity between the North and the South of the UK by approximately 2 GW. It will use Direct Current (DC) technology to reinforce the existing UK transmission system and move electricity across the country in very large volumes. DC electricity is created and transmitted by converting conventional Alternating Current (AC) electricity into DC electricity at a converter station for onwards transmission at high voltages. At the other end of the high voltage cable, DC electricity is converted back to AC electricity at a second converter station and then transmitted through the AC system for onwards distribution to homes and businesses. 1.1.1.5 A schematic of the Eastern HVDC link is shown on Figure 1.2. In Scotland this project initially requires the construction of the following electricity transmission equipment: • A HVDC Converter station • A 400kV Substation; and • Cable corridor for two HVDC cables to land at the shoreline and connect to the converter station. 1.1.1.6 It is noted that the proposed completion date for the Eastern HVDC Link is 2018. However, the 400kV substation will be required by 2016 for connecting offshore renewables into the transmission system at Peterhead. The existing 275kV overhead line between Peterhead and Rothienorman will also be reinforced by replacement of the overhead line insulators. In these circumstances the 400kV substation will be completed as part of the offshore renewables connection project in 2016. The Eastern HVDC Link would subsequently utilise this existing substation following the completion of the HVDC Converter station in 2018. 4 Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Limited