Decision on the proposed Beauly Mossford reinforcement under RIIO-T1 Strategic Wider Works arrangements

Decision

This letter sets out our decision on the proposed Beauly Mossford reinforcement of the transmission system to the northwest of Inverness. The project, submitted by Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc (SHE Transmission), is expected to cost £53.2 million (in 2013/14 prices) and will deliver 252MW of additional transmission capacity by the end of Q3 2015/16.

Our decision on the Beauly Mossford reinforcement project follows our decision on the need for the project (published in January 2011), and our consultation on the Project Assessment published on 19 December 2013. Taking into account all the evidence following our December 2013 consultation, we have decided:

  • To approve an increase in SHE Transmission’s Allowed Expenditure and a new Strategic Wider Works (SWW) Output for the Beauly Mossford transmission project. Our decision is subject to a licence modification proposal which will specify:
    • a SWW Output of 252MW additional transmission capacity at sub-boundary 10 to the northwest of Inverness by the end of Q3 2015/16; and
    • an increase to SHE Transmission’s Allowed Expenditure in the RIIO-T1 price control  of £53.2 million (in 2013/14 prices).
  • The approved Allowed Expenditure for the Beauly Mossford project is £1.6 million less than the most recent cost estimate from SHE Transmission of February 2014. Our reasons for this reduction are due to our alternative treatment of risk and uncertainty to that proposed by SHE Transmission.

Further detail on our decision is set out in the letter at the link below.

Please note a new version of this letter was uploaded on 17/04/14 to correct a small administrative error in the original letter.  The original letter stated the Output is to be delivery by the end of Q3 2014/15, rather than Q3 2015/16.