Connecting Shetland to the National Grid and Unlocking Renewable Potential

Approved in 2020 after a decade of planning, the Shetland HVDC Link is a landmark infrastructure project that has connected Shetland to the GB transmission network for the first time. Spearheaded by SSEN Transmission and delivered by contractor BAM, the project is critical to decarbonising the island’s energy supply and unlocking its full renewable energy potential.

Now fully operational, the £660m link enables the connection of the 443MW Viking Wind Farm and provides vital infrastructure supporting Scotland and the UK’s energy security and clean power targets. The project comprises 260km of high-voltage direct current cabling – 250km of which is beneath the North Sea – as well as a substation and converter station in Shetland and an HVDC switching station at Noss Head, in Caithness.

With the link now successfully energised, planning is underway for a second subsea cable to futureproof capacity and enhance resilience across the network.

How Sypro is helping

Sypro has worked in close partnership with SSEN Transmission, delivering a contract management platform that supports the successful delivery of major infrastructure while aligning with the organisation’s wider governance and operational goals.

For the Shetland HVDC Link, the platform was central to embedding strong governance, managing risk and maintaining visibility across one of the most complex construction and engineering programmes in the UK. Using NEC3, the system enabled open and compliant collaboration across all stakeholders.

Through Sypro’s platform, thousands of communications and ‘early warnings’ were processed across multiple projects – helping SSEN Transmission and its partners to make fast, well-informed decisions across all phases of the programme.

The NEC contract management system provided visibility across key deliverables, allowing teams to manage contractual activities in real time, supporting proactive delivery and reducing the risk of costly delays.

The result

Sypro’s centralised platform was instrumental in helping SSEN Transmission deliver the Shetland HVDC Link to a high standard, within scope and with confidence. With the first subsea connection now energised, this digital-first approach is being adopted across future phases, including a second HVDC link currently in planning and procurement.

Marc Ducorroy, Procurement and Commercial Manager at SSEN Transmission, said: “Sypro’s contract management platform has helped us maintain high standards of governance, transparency and collaboration across our supply chain – all of which are vital to delivering transmission networks that are reliable, resilient and ready for the future.”