Nexans to support the UK’s energy transition with the supply and installation of high voltage cables to link the Orkney Islands to the Scottish mainland

• Nexans has signed a capacity reservation agreement with Scottish transmission owner SSEN Transmission to supply and install approximately 100 km of 220 kV high-voltage cables, both onshore and offshore.
• These cables will provide a transmission connection from Orkney to the Scottish mainland at Dounreay on the north coast of Scotland.
• The Orkney Islands represent a major source of renewable electricity potential, and its connection to the mainland will help decarbonize the UK’s electricity production.

Nexans, a leader in the design and manufacturing of cable systems and services, announces that it has been selected by SSEN Transmission to supply and install the high-voltage cables that will provide a transmission link from Orkney to Dounreay in the Scottish Highlands. A capacity reservation agreement has been signed between both parties and Nexans has committed to reserve manufacturing and installation capacity for a significant contract to be signed in 2024.

An essential project for the renewable energy transition in the UK

In recent years, the Orkney Islands have made significant investments to develop the generation of electricity from renewable sources. Existing and planned renewable energy projects on the islands will generate more electricity than can be consumed or exported with the existing grid infrastructure. With this increased generation capacity due to come online in the coming years, connecting Orkney to the Scottish transmission network has become a necessity to be able to export this renewable electricity and increase the proportion of low-carbon electricity in the UK.

The 220 kV AC subsea and land cables supplied by Nexans will play a decisive role in the energy transition in the UK, illustrating the Group’s commitment to the electrification of the world.

A decisive partnership with SSEN Transmission

This success demonstrates the quality of the solutions provided by Nexans and the technical expertise of its teams, whose collaboration with SSEN Transmission over the last few years has been of the highest quality. The agreement is an important step in our partnership with SSEN Transmission, which will continue until the official signing of the contract in the second quarter of 2024.

This agreement will enable Nexans to further expand its presence in the UK and confirms its ambition to build strong relationships worldwide with strategic companies such as SSEN Transmission, a major player in electrification.