We have completed a major decommissioning project across Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and South Ayrshire by dismantling and removing Inverkip Substation and associated overhead line infrastructure.
This major investment is part of our modernisation programme as the nation moves to more sustainable energy solutions, supporting ambitious net zero targets set out by the Scottish Government.
The removal of the power station has enabled us to remove the nearby redundant substation and the 400kV overhead power lines which connected the power station to the transmission grid. The project involved in excess of one hundred transmission towers measuring between 30 and 60 metres in height being removed. We worked with Daltons and Wood Group to undertake site works.
Inverkip Substation was located nearby the former oil-fired power station, situated on the shoreline at Inverkip, connected into the transmission network.
Built in 1970, the power station dominated the skyline on the coast with a 778ft chimney, which was Scotland’s tallest free-standing structure and was demolished a number of years ago no longer featuring as part of the Government’s energy plans for the country.
The area where the substation stood is now completely cleared of towers and with much of the work taking place in Clyde Muirshiel National Park where many of the towers were sited, great care was taken to protect the natural environment as activity took place in the park. Part of this work included the use of ground protection access equipment, all terrain vehicles and a helicopter for removal of redundant equipment.
SP Energy Networks Land Officers worked closely with landowners ensuring access arrangements were in place and the community liaison team ensured local communities were advised of the work taking place.
Bob McGuire, Head of Circuits Programmes at SP Energy Networks, said: “This significant project, which saw us remove redundant infrastructure, underlines our commitment to delivering a better future quicker as our networks play an increasingly vital role in the nation’s move to a more sustainable environment and zero carbon society.
“Energy generation has changed as the country moves towards the use of cleaner options and therefore the time was right to remove the now redundant Inverkip substation and surrounding overhead lines and infrastructure.”
The Inverkip project represents just one of the many projects we are delivering to help the transition to a greener future in 2021, the year in which the COP26 climate change conference will take place in Glasgow.
Due to the price of oil, Inverkip power station was never utilised commercially but operated as a strategic reserve throughout the 1980s and 90s.With the power station mothballed in the 1990s and formally decommissioned in 2006, the substation and the adjacent overhead lines at Inverkip were no longer required.