A SUBSEA path is slowly being cleared in preparation for the laying of a high-voltage cable that will carry up to 1,200MW of electricity from Caithness to Moray.

The supply vessel Siem Ruby used a special “plough” to clear rocks and large boulders in the Moray Firth, creating a trench to house the cable, which will use High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology to transport power from renewable projects in the north of Scotland.

It will be routed between converter stations at Spittal in Caithness and Blackhillock in Moray to join Scottish and Southern Energy’s (SSE) transmission network, enabling renewable electricity to be transported to areas of demand across Scotland and further afield. The £1.1 billion project was, said SSE, the biggest investment in the north of Scotland’s electricity network since hydro-electric developments in the 1950s. It is due to be completed next year.

The subsea cable will be laid in two sections, with one length running from Noss in Caithness to a mid-point in the firth, and the second from Portgordon in Moray.

Once this is done, the plough will be reconfigured and will return to backfill the trench using the material it has already excavated.

Brian Mitchell, the lead project manager, said: “This is a significant milestone for the Caithness-Moray project as the plough has literally cleared the way to allow our team to start laying the cables that will enable electricity to be transported between Caithness and Moray.

“Once complete, the Caithness Moray subsea link will significantly reinforce the north of Scotland transmission network and aid our transition to a low-carbon economy.”

SSE said in combination with the cable the use of the existing network will be improved with the reinforcement of the onshore transmission network between Dounreay and Mybster in the north and Loch Buidhe and Beauly further south.

Meanwhile, Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said an investment of £8 million will restore peatlands and help reduce carbon emissions.

Her remarks came as she opened the Peatlands Action Fund for applications from communities and land managers. It will help the Scottish Government deliver its proposals to restore 250,000 hectares of peatlands by 2032.

Around 1.7m hectares of Scotland is covered in peatlands and keeping them well-maintained mitigates against climate change by locking in carbon, whereas if they are left in a degraded condition they produce greenhouse gas emissions rather than become a sink for soaking up carbon.

Cunningham opened the fund on a visit to the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Red Moss of Balerno reserve in Edinburgh.

“Restoring our peatlands and taking advantage of their value as a natural resource is crucial if we are to continue to build on our world leading low carbon ambitions, and reduce emissions by 66 per cent by 2032,” she said.

“By increasing our investment more communities will be able to transform and use peatlands as an open space, regenerating it as a habitat for wildlife and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Since 2013 our peatland restoration work has already transformed more than 10,000 hectares with this new funding set to deliver a step change in our approach by restoring 8,000 hectares in 2017-18 and ultimately lead to our goal of 250,000 by 2032.

“Developing peatlands is just one area covered in our draft Climate Change Plan which sets out the real on the ground changes that need to happen across our economy to achieve our ambitious targets.”

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) will deliver the fund on behalf of the Scottish Government, and Andrew McBride, its peatland action manager said it was one of their key projects in delivering the 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity Peatland Action, which has has worked closely with a wide range of land managers and communities.

He said: “From this working relationship, we’ve seen the importance of healthy peatlands, not only to wildlife but also to many industries, including tourism, fisheries and the water industry. We look forward to continuing work with existing partners, and also meeting new faces interested in restoring our degraded peatlands.”

Clifton Bain, programme director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Peatland Programme, also welcomed the move.

He added: “We now have a national peatland plan, clear policies and a commitment to funding. On top of this Peatland Action has shown that we have the skills and techniques, and more importantly the support of people to ensure our peatlands are brought into a healthy condition, helping avoid the costly consequences of leaving them in a degraded state.”