Public Information
Proposed 3km Onshore Underground Cable
To connect Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm’s consented substation at Burnside with the planned new National Grid substation at Greens by underground cable.
Project InFO
Background
In 2021, Ocean Winds was awarded an area of seabed for the development of offshore wind as part of the Scottish Government’s “ScotWind” programme. The site is adjacent to the company’s existing Moray East and Moray West Offshore Wind Farms in the Moray Firth.
The new site, called Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm, began development in 2022. This included preparing an application for onshore infrastructure to connect the wind farm to the National Electricity Transmission Grid. A new electricity substation at Burnside received planning approval in July 2025.
At the same time, the National Electricity Transmission Grid operators have been planning upgrades to handle growing electricity demand, mainly from heating and transport switching to electric, and to replace old coal power stations with renewable energy. This includes plans by SSEN Transmission for a new substation at Greens.
It is proposed to connect the consented Caledonia substation at Burnside to the new SSEN-T substation at Greens by means of underground cable.
Cables will be installed underground, so after construction and restoring the land, there will be no visible signs except for small marker posts showing where the cables are.
This consultation is to help optimise design and delivery of the proposed infrastructure as part of the planning application process.
Proposed Infrastructure
- Ca. 3km Underground Cable Corridor, up to 100m wide and accommodating up to four 400kv cable circuits
- Temporary haul roads to support installation, to be removed & reinstated after completion of works
Requirement for An Additional Planning Application
The development of new electricity generation projects and the development of the National Grid are separate, different and independent processes. At the time of development, it was not expected that Caledonia would require connection to the new infrastructure proposed by SSEN-T at Greens.
However, recent months have seen changes to that expectation as a result of developments from the regulatory framework which determines how new generation is connected to the National Grid.
Planning Application
This consultation is to help optimise design and delivery of the proposed infrastructure as part of the planning application process.
Various different environmental surveys, including habitat surveys for trees and plants and watercourses, and protected species surveys for badgers and otters will take place on site over the coming months. Consultation with statutory stakeholders including Aberdeenshire Council, SEPA, Historic Environment Scotland and Nature Scot will be undertaken in order to ensure that the proposed infrastructure and its installation are environmentally sound.
This information will be used to support the submission of an application for outline planning consent which will be made to Aberdeenshire Council.
Please note: This consultation is being undertaken by the developer and is not a consultation on a live planning application. An opportunity to comment on any planning application will be advertised in the usual way by the local planning authority.
Location
This map indicates the area where feedback from residents is requested on the proposals, to allow for the optimum siting according to local, landscape features, and to best accommodate other land use such as agriculture.
The route has been selected with consideration of environmental sensitivities, allowing the most direct route from Burnside to Greens while avoiding peaty grounds, areas prone to flooding and maintaining an appropriate buffer from residential properties.
Download Map (PDF file)
Downloads
- Location Map – Size 1.73 MB
- Leaflet And Questionnaire – Size 4.06 MB
- Public Exhibition Banners – 23-09-2025 – Size 20.37 MB
Your Feedback
We would welcome your feedback on these proposals.