Scottish Hydro Electric (SHE) Transmission welcomed over 30 Carradale residents to its new substation at Crossaig last weekend as part of its Kintyre to Hunterston project.
The tours were organised following requests by local residents who had attended the East Kintyre Community Council meetings and were keen to see the progress on site.
Such was their popularity; four tours took place on Saturday, with a minibus picking up local residents from the Carradale Community Hall. On their bus journey north, SHE Transmission Project Director, Andy Malkin, provided a running commentary on the progress of the overhead lines being constructed between Carradale and Crossaig..
A total of 18 towers have been erected to date, with a further 34 due to be built by February 2015. Saturday’s visitors were particularly delighted with the condition of the B842 and its new passing places and were very complimentary about the works carried out by SHE Transmission and construction company Amec.
Upon arrival at the Crossaig substation, being constructed by Siemens BAM Nuttall, the guests enjoyed a coffee break whilst receiving an on-site safety briefing and a presentation explaining the background and purpose of the project.
Andy Malkin explained that the new Crossaig substation provides inter-connectivity between Inveraray, Port Ann, Carradale and Hunterston via the new subsea cable being manufactured by Nexans. He said: “These works enable connections to be made now and in the future to harness the energy in the Kintyre region generated from wind and tidal power whilst providing a more secure supply to those that live and work in the area.”
The visiting party were then escorted to the construction site to witness the ongoing works. Scott McGeachy from Carradale Primary School was impressed with the progress and said: “Lots has been done since I last visited the substation in the summer.”
Before returning to the Community Hall, the minibus ventured to the head of the sea-access-road where the land-based cabling works are being carried out by Nexans and the routing of the sub-sea cable around the north top of Arran to Hunterston.
Andy said: “Thank you to everyone who came along on the day. The site tours were a great excuse to spend time with the locals and it was fantastic to hear that the members of our project team are considered part of the Carradale community. We’re hoping to organise a further round of tours in February 2015.”
At the end of the tour, the guests were asked to fill in a feedback form on how they felt the day went with one resident saying: “I nearly didn’t come because I thought it would be boring but it was great”, and another commenting: “Very informative, glad I came along and see you again in February.”