We are SSEN Transmission, the trading name for Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission.
We are responsible for the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland, maintaining and investing in the high voltage 132kV, 220kV, 275kV and 400kV electricity transmission network.
Our network consists of underground and subsea cables, overhead lines on wooden poles or steel towers, and electricity substations. It extends over a quarter of the UK’s land mass, crossing some of its most challenging terrain.
Our first priority is to provide a safe and reliable supply of electricity to our communities. We do this by taking the electricity from generators and transporting it at high voltages over long distances through our transmission network for onwards distribution to homes and businesses in villages, towns and cities.
Our operating area is home to vast renewable energy resources and this is being harnessed by wind, hydro and marine generation. Working closely with National Grid, the GB transmission System Operator, we also enable these electricity generators to connect to the transmission system by providing their connections and allowing the electricity generated by them to be transported to areas of demand across the country.
Scotland’s transmission network has a strategic role to play in supporting delivery of the UK and Scotland’s Net Zero targets. We’re already a mass exporter of renewable energy, with around two thirds of power generated in our network area exported to demand centres further south. By 2050, the north of Scotland is expected to need 40GW of low carbon energy capacity to support net zero delivery. For context, we currently have over 9GW of renewable generation connected in the north of Scotland.
As a natural monopoly, we are closely regulated by the GB energy regulator, Ofgem, who determines how much revenue we are allowed to earn for constructing, maintaining and renovating our transmission network in the north of Scotland. These costs are shared between all those using the transmission system, including generation developers and electricity consumers.
Following a minority stake sale which completed in November 2022, we are now owned 75% by SSE plc and 25% by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board.
As a stakeholder-led business, SSEN Transmission is committed to inclusive stakeholder engagement, and we conduct this at an ‘Advanced’ level as assessed by AccountAbility, the international consulting and standards firm.
On the economy, members challenged Scotland's principal Minister in the UK Cabinet on what measures were planned to encourage new business investment in plant and machinery. They also questioned him on when a decision would be reached on the UK's carbon reduction targets beyond 2020: a decision that will be critical in unlocking potentially massive investment in offshore wind and other marine renewable energies. The complex bureaucracy businesses have to go through to secure RSA grant funding were attacked and the damage that high energy prices could do to the manufacturing sector was also raised. On the independence question, DACC's members were united in calling for the quality and tone of the debate to improve: with an onus on both the advocates and opponents of independence to make it clear what the likely economic consequences would be.
