Orkney Islands Council is calling for urgent talks with ministers after the announcement about the delay of cable upgrade from Orkney to Caithness until 2018, Herald Scotland reports.

According to SSE, the cable linking wave, wind and tidal developments to the mainland will be completed in 2018 at the earliest.

Regarding this issue, Councillor Steven Heddle, said: “The electricity grid in Orkney is at full capacity –making a new cable linking the islands to the Scottish mainland of vital importance to a community widely recognised as having some of the finest wind, wave and tidal energy resources in Europe.

“The announcement that this crucial transmission link is being delayed has been met with understandable dismay in Orkney. This effectively shuts the door on connecting new renewable energy projects to the grid for many years to come.”

Subsea World News Staff , December 26, 2012

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