A project worth £28 million to fully restore electricity supply between Skye and Harris is now complete.
A subsea cable has been installed by Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN) after faults were identified last October.
Approximately 18,000 homes were without power due to the fault, identified approximately nine miles off Skye at a depth of 328ft.
The exact cause has not been identified.
Now, 11 months on, the project is complete.
The new cable was connected on Tuesday, again linking Lewis and Harris to the mainland electricity network.
Backup stations have reverted from full-duty
Stations at Battery Point and Arnish had been operating at full-duty since last October, ensuring an electricity supply to locals.
These stations will now revert to back-up operations.
Significant offshore works were required to lay the new cable, with specialist marine vessels, the Maersk Connector and Grand Canyon 3, involved.
The 33 kilovolt (kV) cable spans from Ardmore on Skye to Beacravik on Harris.
It replaces the 20-mile long cable that was damaged last year.
Land based works were required on shore to allow the new link, before beaches were returned to their natural state.
Project complete on time
Mark Rough, SSEN director of customer operations, expressed his delight at the project finishing on time.
He said the new cable will remove export restrictions to local generators.
Mr Rough added: “While reliability of power supplies has been maintained, we recognise the impact to the community as a result of this fault and would like to thank stakeholders, including local generators and wider community partners for their continued patience and engagement during the fault period.
“I’d also like to thank our teams in our operational centres, power stations and contract partners for their ongoing commitment during a highly complex operation to help keep the power flowing and restore the network.”
Further enhancements could come to islands
SSEN is proposing upgrading the circuit between Skye and Uist during its next price control period running from 2023 to 2028.
A study will also be carried out into the option of installing a second 33kV cable between Skye and Harris.
Future projects welcomed
Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil welcomed the completion and praised everyone involved.
He said: “I am pleased to hear that plans are moving forward on strategic subsea investment projects in the islands, including an upgrade to the circuit between Skye and Uist, and also the proposed 600MW HVDC transmission link to the islands.”
