To permit connection of the current substation to the present Beauly to Denny overhead line which passes the positioning, Balfour Beatty enjoy also commenced the constructing of non eternal towers that can for roughly 18 months, divert the toll road unless the substation is ready to be connected.
The present Kinardochy reactive compensation substation will be positioned around three miles south of Tummel Bridge. The equipment being build in will play a extreme feature in ensuring voltage limits on the transmission network remain true and strength flows would possibly per chance per chance even be successfully managed. This can allow for the connection of current renewable expertise to the grid and allow tidy strength to be transported to the attach it is wanted most.
The substation will be built and operated in the starting attach at 275 kilovolts (kV) but is designed to feature at 400kV, ensuring that absolute best minimal adjustments are required for any future upgrade to the working voltage of the Beauly to Denny overhead line. The platform being fashioned can even be sized to make certain that any extra equipment to be sited at Kinardochy would possibly per chance per chance even be carried out so with minimal future works required.
Earlier than breaking flooring on plot, tree clearance has taken enviornment over the closing six months to pave the methodology for predominant contractor Siemens Bam to launch up the well-known substation constructing works, alongside with flooring investigations to attain the cases below the flooring.
The flooring investigations confirmed the rock below the positioning would possibly per chance per chance even be overwhelmed and reused to form the substation platform and eternal access boulevard, limiting the amount of enviornment topic which is required to be imported to plot the usage of HGVs. It also will get rid of the need for any materials to be taken offsite for disposal. In total, teams depend on to reuse some 84,000 cubic metres of rock.
Screening bunds will be constructed the usage of natural enviornment topic excavated from the work location to minimise the visible impact of the substation. The bunds can even be replanted with native tree species as successfully as seeded with local wildflowers that won’t absolute best support with visible impact but additionally support increased biodiversity in the placement, permitting local natural world to flourish, basically based on SSEN Transmission’s dedication to bring biodiversity gain form on its future projects. A portion of trees to the north of the work location has also been retained to supply extra screening whereas the current plantings are given time to former.
Careful consideration has been given to conserving the scenic location by which the substation will be positioned, with the substation itself being built into the slope of the land so this would per chance be naturally screened by the landscape.
Compensatory tree planting work is deliberate with Dun Coillich Community Woodland without prolong to the south of the substation later in the One year, the attach native woodland tree species will be planted to replace the business forestry trees which had been eliminated to originate methodology for constructing earlier in the project.
SSEN Transmission project supervisor Gary Milne said: “Breaking flooring at Kinardochy marks the well-known essential milestone in the approach of this current substation, permitting our teams to launch up work to set up the current substation platform and access tracks to the positioning.
“As soon as build in, the current substation will play a key feature in supporting the administration of strength and retain a true and true supply of electricity across the network.
“It’s the truth is important to us that we take care of the atmosphere by which we feature, and we’re paying end consideration to the visible impact our substation would possibly per chance per chance enjoy on the local location. We’ve taken steps to mitigate by difference by designing the substation so it is built into a natural slope and also will make screening bunds, that will most certainly be planted with native woodland and wildflower species to relief biodiversity thrive in the placement. We’re also limiting our import and export of materials as noteworthy as seemingly, that won’t absolute best minimize down on our emissions from HGVs but guarantee we’re reusing as noteworthy rock and topsoil enviornment topic from the positioning as we are in a position to.
“We’ve been working closely with the local of us to retain them told because the project progresses, and we’ll proceed to work with them to make certain that they are saved updated. As ever, we thank them for his or her patience in approach and we’ll proceed to attain all we are in a position to to retain any disruption to a minimum.”
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