£1bn renewable project sails ahead with subsea cable move

A £1 billion project to deliver renewable power from Scotland to homes and businesses in England and Wales has taken a step forward with what is claimed to be the world's largest subsea power cable coming ashore.

The cable is part of the Western Link project, connecting Scottish renewable power with customers south of the Border. Picture: Chris James

The move saw the cable, which measures about 240 miles, come on land at Ardneil Bay in North Ayrshire as part of the five-section Western Link initiative, a joint venture between ScottishPower and the National Grid.

Consequently, energy can be converted so it can be used in the existing electricity-transmission system. Construction of the project is being carried out by a consortium of Siemens and Prysmian, and power is expected to start flowing along it this year.

It was revealed in October that while surveying off the Wigtownshire coast, marine engineers laying the cable found the wreck of a German U-boat said to have been attacked by a sea monster prowling the coastline at the end of the First World War.

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