Blackhillock Substation is an
electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions. Between the generating station and ...
located in the north east of Scotland, near the town of
Keith
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Keith (surname)
* Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949)
* Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...
in Moray.
It is owned and operated by
Scottish Southern Electricity Network (SSEN). Covering an area the size of 24 football pitches, it is as of January 2019, the UK's largest substation and Europe's second biggest.
Construction began in early 2015 to upgrade the existing substation so it could accommodate the new 1,200 MW
Caithness - Moray Link. The £1bn construction project had four main elements: 400kV and 132kV gas-insulated substations, one 275kV air-insulated substation, a
High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter for the Caithness - Moray subsea link and a HVDC underground cable from the substation to
Portgordon
Portgordon, or sometimes Port Gordon, ( gd, Port Ghòrdain) is a village in Moray, Scotland, south-west of Buckie. It was established in 1797 by Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon as a fishing village. It had a population of 844 at the time ...
. In January 2019 construction and commissioning were completed making it the UK's largest operating substation. It is seen as integral to the UK electricity grid as the north of Scotland generates much renewable energy via windfarms. The upgrade was primarily done to accommodate the
Beatrice Windfarm.
A 300 MW / 600 MWh
grid battery started construction at the site in 2023.
See also
*
Electrical Generation in the UK
*
Renewable energy in the United Kingdom
Renewable energy in the United Kingdom contributes to production for electricity, heat, and transport.
From the mid-1990s, renewable energy began to play a part in the UK's electricity generation, building on a small hydroelectric capacity. ...
References
National Grid (Great Britain)
Converter stations
Buildings and structures in Moray
Electric power infrastructure in Scotland
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