Hitachi HVDC converter stations for Scotland links: civil and geotechnical notes
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on New Civil Engineer
30 Second Briefing
SSEN Transmission has awarded Hitachi Energy contracts to design and supply HVDC converter stations for two planned subsea cable links in the north of Scotland, forming key onshore nodes for long-distance offshore power transfer. The stations will convert AC from the Scottish grid to DC for export via subsea cables and back to AC at the receiving end, enabling lower-loss transmission over hundreds of kilometres. For civil and geotechnical teams, the projects imply substantial foundations, high-electromagnetic-field layouts, and interface works with existing 275 kV and 400 kV infrastructure.
Technical Brief
- Converter stations will act as onshore terminals for long-distance subsea links, integrating with existing Scottish grid nodes.
- Award signals progression of the subsea links from development into early delivery / procurement phase.
- Civil works expected to include large equipment foundations, high-bay buildings and heavy transport access for converter transformers.
- Electromagnetic compatibility constraints will drive earthing, cable routing and separation distances to adjacent infrastructure.
- Similar multi-terminal HVDC schemes in the UK have typically required multi-year phased commissioning and complex outage planning.
Our Take
Within our 356 Infrastructure stories, Scotland and the wider United Kingdom feature heavily in grid reinforcement and interconnector work, signalling that SSEN Transmission’s HVDC investments are part of a sustained regional push to accommodate offshore renewables and north–south power flows.
Hitachi Energy appears in multiple recent grid and converter station items in our database, suggesting it is consolidating its position as a preferred supplier for complex HVDC schemes where utilities want a single OEM to de‑risk integration and long-term maintenance.
For UK-based Projects tagged as Contract Award, high-voltage transmission packages like this typically sit on the critical path for commissioning; delays or supply bottlenecks at converter stations can drive programme risk for the entire subsea cable link and associated generation tie-ins.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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