McArthur secures ministerial agreement to raise grid issues with SSE

Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has secured an agreement from the Scottish energy minister, Fergus Ewing, to meet with SSE to discuss further options for reinforcing the electricity grid in Orkney.

Mr McArthur raised the issue at general questions in Parliament yesterday, Thursday, highlighting the threat to a number of local renewables projects in Orkney, including some community owned developments, as a result of high levels of grid constraint.

Commenting afterwards, Mr McArthur said: “There is real and growing concern that a lack of grid capacity in Orkney is putting at risk a number of local projects, including some that are community-owned.

“Efforts to identify ways in which the local grid might be reinforced have so far come to nothing, but this cannot be allowed to stall. I am pleased, therefore, the energy minister has agreed to my request that he meet with SSE to explore what further options might be available.

“Fergus Ewing acknowledged the urgency of the situation and I hope that his discussions with SSE help reintroduce momentum towards finding a solution to this long-running problem.”