{"id":536093,"date":"2026-02-10T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=536093"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:39:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:39:39","slug":"bringing-orkneys-wind-power-to-the-mainland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/project-reports\/bringing-orkneys-wind-power-to-the-mainland-10-02-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing Orkney\u2019s wind power to the mainland"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Project name:<\/strong> Finstown Substation
\nClient:<\/strong> SSEN Transmission
\nMain contractor:<\/strong> Siemens Energy and Bam UK & Ireland
\nForm of contract:<\/strong> NEC3 Option A
\nTotal project value:<\/strong> \u00a3320m
\nEarthworks, drainage and utilities:<\/strong> Edward MacKay Contractor
\nBuilding steelwork and cladding:<\/strong> J&D Pierce Group
\nConcrete and Formwork:<\/strong> Murform Ltd
\nBuilding M&E:<\/strong> GA Barnie Group
\nSurfacing:<\/strong> BDS Plant Ltd
\nFencing:<\/strong> JB Corries Ltd
\nStructural engineer:<\/strong> BT Bell Civil and Structural Engineers
\nStart on site:<\/strong> August 2024
\nCompletion date:<\/strong> August 2028<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Scottish comedy legend Billy Connolly often quips about efforts he would make to appear \u201cwindswept and interesting\u201d. The phrase even became the title of his autobiography. But he could equally well be referring to Orkney, that archipelago of islands lying just 10 miles off the north east coast of Scotland. The rolling landscape of Orkney is as dramatic as its history from Neolithic settlements to Viking strongholds. But in the past 50 years, the islands\u2019 fortunes have, to a large extent, been tied to the economics of energy.<\/p>\n

North Sea oil first came ashore in the late 1970s at the newly opened Flotta Oil Terminal, which at its peak processed 400,000 barrels of crude oil a year on its 385-acre site in Scapa Flow. But even as oil and gas flowed, Orkney was also becoming a hub for renewable energy. Wind turbines were first tested there in the 1950s, and the islands later became home to marine facilities for wave and tidal power.<\/p>\n

Orkney has been effectively self-sufficient in renewable energy since 2013. And more investment is coming: in October, chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that the National Wealth Fund would underwrite \u00a362m for Orkney Islands Council to build eighteen 150-metre turbines at Quanterness.<\/p>\n

Construction is expected to start by 2027, and once operating, the turbines will generate enough electricity for around 47,000 homes, bringing a hoped-for \u00a33.3m a year in export income to the islands.<\/p>\n

The islands are home to the highest concentration of small and micro wind turbines in the country \u2013 you see them on roofs and on farmland as sheep graze lazily around them. It\u2019s also a reason why Orkney has one of the highest ownership rates of electric cars in the UK. So, getting Orkney\u2019s surplus wind-generated electricity off the island and the resulting cash back into local bank accounts is the current challesnge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of local energy development that\u2019s been unable to develop because we\u2019ve not had the connection,\u201d Matt Dunlop, project manager at the Finstown Substation for SSEN Transmission, tells Construction News<\/em>. \u201cOrkney already makes more renewable electricity than it needs. The grid up here is pretty much 90 per cent of the time running off renewables, and it\u2019s curtailing local development because they can\u2019t export it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The solution is the \u00a3900m Orkney\u2013Caithness 220kV Subsea Link project, which will feed energy from Orkney into Britain\u2019s electricity transmission network. It involves laying 53km of subsea cable from the Scottish mainland to the coast at Warebeth, west of Stromness, followed by around 14km of underground cable running across the island to a new substation being built at Finstown in Orkney. The whole project is a joint venture (JV): the civils construction of the Finstown and Dounreay substations is being carried out by Bam UK & Ireland, and Siemens Energy is doing the fit-out \u2013 essentially installing the transformers and transmission equipment \u2013 all under the watchful eye of client SSEN Transmission.<\/p>\n

The Finstown Substation will be a connection point to the grid for local generators around Orkney, and will transform the voltage to 220kV for transmission across the island and onto the UK mainland. The whole project will enable the connection of up to 220MW of renewable energy into the UK grid.<\/p>\n

Although Bam is no stranger to building electricity substations, the Finstown project did present some unique challenges for the contractor. \u201cThis one is totally different and complex because it\u2019s on an island at the top of Scotland,\u201d Gerard Egan, project manager for Bam tells CN<\/em>. \u201cThe logistics of getting people, materials and plant here brings a totally different complexity to the project.\u201d<\/p>\n

The site includes eight buildings: one with gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), the control room and battery room; two buildings each containing a grid transformer (GT) and air-insulated switchgear; two buildings with synchronous condensers (Syncons) and coolers; a building for the super grid transformer (SGT); and two buildings housing reactor transformers. The structures vary in size, from the SGT building at 13.7 metres high, 89.5\u00a0 metres long and 35 metres wide, to the reactor buildings at 9.9 metres high, 36 metres long and 25 metres wide. All stand on concrete slab foundations, which range from about 1,610 cubic metres of concrete for the SGT building to around 820 cubic metres for each reactor building.<\/p>\n

Steel columns differ by building type: those in the SGT and Syncon buildings weigh 176kg per metre, while those in the GIS and reactor buildings weigh 101kg per metre. The GT buildings use columns weighing 125kg per metre. All steelwork is built to C4 corrosion class for coastal conditions, with the project requiring an estimated 1,361 tonnes of structural steel in total. All the steel was manufactured by J&D Pierce and shipped to Orkney via the Port of Aberdeen to Kirkwall and then transported to the Finstown site.<\/p>\n

Site selection<\/h3>\n

The site itself was carefully selected from a number of options. Taking account of local topography and scenery was important, as well as significant archaeological considerations, given the rich heritage of Orkney. As such, a team of local archaeologists spent a good deal of time on the site, which is just a few miles from the well-preserved 5,000-year-old Neolithic village at Skara Brae. But the Finstown site sits remarkably well in the surrounding landscape \u2013 approaching it by road, you\u2019re more likely to note the ancient standing stones on the hill above it before the site itself.<\/p>\n

In order to sit neatly into the surrounding landscape, Bam created a platform for the operation substation to sit on that extends around two metres outside of the security fence. \u201cThere are views where you\u2019ll be able to see the entire substation, but the key views from a planning and heritage aspect [are] about trying to screen the substation as much as practical,\u201d says Dunlop. \u201cSo, it\u2019s not just eight big sheds on the horizon \u2013 it\u2019s about trying to limit that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The overall area of the substation platform is around 60,000 square metres. But adding in the areas of the main compound, laydown area and the landscape bunds, the enlarged site occupies around 218,000 square metres. To achieve this Bam and its sister company Bam Ground Engineering undertook the rock drill and blast work. Holes were drilled to various depths dependent on the original terrain. The holes were then filled with emulsion explosives, which when fired fractured the surround rock to a suitable size for processing into material for the construction of the substation. Various sizes of excavators were used in the earthwork, from 20-50 tonne dumpers.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we\u2019re changing the topography of the existing ground to suit its new platform level,\u201d says Richard Shearer, the site agent for Bam. \u201cNow, with that, you will always have a balance \u2013 you\u2019re either too short of material or you\u2019ve got too much. We\u2019ve got a bit too much material left over, but it\u2019s coming in the form of rock, which is a benefit because it\u2019s a material that\u2019s worth something to another project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harsh weather<\/h3>\n

The reason the substation is being built in Orkney in the first place is also the reason for a major part of its complex design: wind. While many substations further south in the UK are open to the elements, that\u2019s not an option in Orkney, where gale force winds blow for around 30 days every year. \u201cThe transformers themselves and a lot of the other kit are all inside buildings,\u201d says Dunlop. \u201cThat\u2019s a design choice because of the nature of the environment. The entirety of Orkney is a marine environment, so you get corrosion, you get salt spray \u2013 you can be as far away from the sea as you can, but you\u2019ll still get sea spray.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat then leads to having to put up these big buildings around the equipment. That leads to other things you have to factor in like ventilation, light and power that you don\u2019t necessarily have on an open substation inland, because your transformer can be outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The changeable conditions and especially the wind speeds on Orkney mean weather forecasts are checked constantly throughout the day, especially when the steel frame was being hoisted into place. \u201cWith the steelwork,\u201d says Egan, \u201cwe\u2019ve had a few days where the wind speed exceeded the operational speeds of the cranes, so we\u2019ve just had to stop that activity for a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, decent weather during last spring and summer enabled much of the concrete work and a lot of the steel framing to be done. The buildings themselves will have Kingspan insulated wall and roof cladding panels. The roller-shutter doors will be securely anchored into the frame. When CN<\/em> visited the site, mechanical and electrical (M&E) work was in the final design phase and and installation work was due to begin in early 2026.<\/p>\n

Logistical challenges<\/h3>\n

The project\u2019s managers also had to deal with the logistical challenges of getting materials to the island. In many cases it became a delicate balance between local needs and the requirements of the project. For example, much of the demand for concrete and cement were met by local firm Orkney Aggregates, which built an extra batching plant to service the Finstown site\u2019s requirements. \u201cIt gives local businesses the opportunity to upscale,\u201d says Jerry Dickson, project director at Bam, adding that Orkney Aggregates also acquired additional trucks and took on more drivers.<\/p>\n

But at the same time, the Bam-Siemens JV (SEBAM) is keen not to corner the local market at the expense of the community and, as such, holds a weekly meeting with Orkney Aggregates to discuss its material needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we don\u2019t want to do is come here, go out to the community and say, \u2018give us all your services\u2019, and then the local community don\u2019t have those facilities because we\u2019ve absorbed them all,\u201d says Egan. \u201cWe are conscious of that. We want to work with the [local] supply chain, but what we don\u2019t want to do is have a detrimental effect on the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many locals can see the benefits of the Finstown Substation and, indeed, the entire Orkney-Caithness Link Project, given that a similar project in Shetland, which was switched on in 2024, has generated over \u00a345m for the local economy. Bam is scheduled to hand over the Finstown Substation site to Siemens Energy by the middle of next year, with the transformers expected to arrive in 2027. The substation works are scheduled to be completed by the end of that year, with commissioning and energisation set for 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis type of project hasn\u2019t happened in Orkney for probably three or four decades,\u201d Dunlop says. \u201cThis is probably the biggest civil construction project since the oil and gas terminals were built. It\u2019s a key project not for just for local benefit, but in the transmission business \u2013 this is pretty much the biggest project in flight, certainly for the offshore connections.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Hitting the target on remote working<\/h3>\n

\"\"The remoteness of the Finstown Substation project brought with it numerous logistical challenges, not least accommodating a workforce that was largely brought in from the mainland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not the skillset locally to deliver absolutely everything,\u201d says Matt Dunlop, project manager for SSEN. \u201cThere aren\u2019t the resources locally to deliver it, so we have to bring in the workforce, and one of the key concerns was where do we put them.\u201d<\/p>\n

At peak operations, nearly 300 workers will be on site and while some will be Orcadians, a sizeable part of the labour force will be accommodated onsite.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big complexity on this job is everybody\u2019s coming to the island,\u201d says Bam\u2019s Finstown project manager Gerard Egan. \u201cEverybody needs housing on the island, and what we don\u2019t want to do is overwhelm the local supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overwhelming that local supply would have meant hundreds of hotel rooms being booked up by the project, potentially having an adverse effect on Orkney\u2019s tourist industry. So, how to keep both workers and locals happy? The solution was to house the workers in seven temporary modular blocks containing 43 bedrooms each at the Finstown site. These were supplied by Algeco, which manufactured them at its facility at Inverurie near Aberdeen, shipped them to Orkney and assembled them on site.<\/p>\n

However, to keep the workers content and morale high, it was decided to make this accommodation a cut above the usual \u2018bunker bins\u2019 found on other construction sites in remote areas. The facilities include catering, laundry, gym and recreation areas, including a dartboard, video games and pool tables. There are also regular transport links to the town of Kirkwall. \u201cIt\u2019s slightly unusual, but it fits the bill for delivering this project,\u201d says Dunlop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Project name: Finstown Substation Client: SSEN Transmission Main contractor: Siemens Energy and Bam UK & Ireland Form of contract: NEC3 Option A Total project value: \u00a3320m Earthworks, drainage and utilities: Edward MacKay Contractor Building steelwork and cladding: J&D Pierce Group Concrete and Formwork: Murform Ltd Building M&E: GA Barnie Group Surfacing: BDS Plant Ltd Fencing: …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155754,"featured_media":536160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[559,557],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-536093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-long-reads","category-project-reports"],"yoast_head":"\nBringing Orkney\u2019s wind power to the mainland | Construction News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Project name: Finstown Substation Client: SSEN Transmission Main 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