HVDC Planning Application and Marine Licence Applications Formal Advertising

The formal advert, first published on 4th September 2018 can be found here. All of the supporting documents can be found in the Downloads section.

As well as the statutory advertisements placed in the local papers, a flyer was delivered within the local community to advise residents that the documents were available to view locally, how to make formal comments and the closing dates for comments.

MEET THE BUYER EVENTS - MAY 2018

NorthConnect ran two 'Meet the Buyer' events, one in Aberdeen and one in Boddam, at the end of May 2018 as part of a programme of engagement with the local supply-chain network. Both were well attended and the second day in Boddam included a site visit to the Converter Station site at Fourfields.

The presentation given is available to download here.

Please contact Fiona Milligan, Communications Manager, at fiona.milligan@northconnect.no for further information.

PRE-APPLICATION CONSULTATION - MAY 2018

Prior to the submission of applications to both Aberdeenshire Council and Marine Scotland in respect of the HVDC cable route, we distributed an updated newsletter to local households and also held a public exhibition and drop-in day for local fishermen. The open day allowed people to come along and find out more about the project, discuss potential issues with the project team and give feedback on the proposals. A copy of the newsletter can be found here.

The Open Day was held on 23rd May 2018, from 2pm - 8pm at the Buchan Braes Hotel, Boddam. The panels for the open day can be downloaded here.

Further consultation with the local fishing community also took place the following day, Thursday 24th May, in Peterhead at the Fishermen's Mission from 10am-4pm.

Marine Scotland is acting as the National Competent Authority for this project. Here is a link to the Commission’s website and the website on which the “Manual of Procedures” is published.

FISHERY CONSULTATION – January/February 2018

We recently undertook two days of drop-in sessions in Peterhead to gather information and views of fishermen who work in the North Sea around the corridor area we have been surveying. We have developed a questionnaire for both creel fishing and for trawling and have included the maps used at the drop-in days to indicate the location of the survey corridor. These can be found here. We’d be really grateful if you do work in the area, you could complete and return the appropriate form for your type of fishing activity.

Marine Users Flier – January 2018
A flyer was distributed to the local marine community, as well as those with a wider marine interest, giving an update of the survey work undertaken and the next steps in the application process for the HVDC cable. Local fishermen were also invited to attend drop-in sessions so that the project team could gather further information about their activities in the area surveyed. The flier is available here.

Public & Stakeholder Consultation Plans
NorthConnect have published Public & Stakeholder Consultation Plans for each stage of works to date. This public and stakeholder Consultation Plan seeks to outline the engagement activities that NorthConnect plans to undertake with all its stakeholders, including local communities.

Interim Flier – September 2017
A flier was distributed within the local community in September 2017 to provide an update on project progress and the surveys that are being planned to inform the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) onshore cable route and subsea surveys as well as at the Fourfields Converter Station site.

Interim Flier - November 2016
A flier was distributed within the local community in November 2016 to provide information regarding project progress and the surveys that are being planned to inform the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) onshore cable route and subsea surveys.

Fishermen’s Flier - October 2016
Fishermen within the cable route corridor have been consulted regarding subsea surveys. The fishermans flier is available here.

HVDC Scoping Responses - May – July 2016

Aberdeenshire Council provided a response including the opinion of the statutory consultees.

Marine Scotland provided a response including the opinion of the statutory consultees.

HVDC Scoping Report - May 2016

A scoping report was submitted to Aberdeenshire Council and Marine Scotland as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, that will underpin the planning and marine licence applicaitons for the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Interconnector cable installation. The HVDC cables will connect the Interconnector Converter Station on the ‘Fourfields’ site near Boddam, Peterhead to the Converter Station located in Simadalen, Norway.

Interim Flier - January 2016
A flier was distributed in January 2016 to provide local residents an update of the project and next steps.

Interim Communication Plan - August 2015
An Interim Communication Plan was developed to cover the periods where there was no Pre Application Communication Consultation (PACC) process in place, and prior to the construction phase. While there is no formal requirement for consultation or communication, NorthConnect wish to keep the dialogue open with the public and stakeholders.
The Interim Communication plan can be viewed here:

Pre-Application Community Consultation Report - April 2015
A PACC report was submitted with the planning application for the Converter Station and High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) cable route. The purpose of the report was to analyse and review the output of the consultation undertaken with the local community. The PACC report can be viewed here.

Large attendance at Community Information Day - February 2015
A Community Information Day on the UK Interconnector Converter Station and HVAC cable route was held in Boddam on the 26th of February 2015, 52 people attended. Questions with regard to what the converter stations will look like, noise levels and ecological impacts were discussed. The information boards displayed can be viewed by downloading them here.

Proposal of Application Notice - November 2014
The Proposal of Application Notice supported by a Public and Stakeholder Consultation Plan was submitted to Aberdeenshire Council and Buchan Community Council on the 28th of November 2014. The Plan details the consultation planned for the remainder of the project.
Download the November 2014 PAN here.

Public and Stakeholder Consultation Plan - December 2014
NorthConnect published a consultation plan which set out the Public and Stakeholder Engagement approach to the planning application for the construction of the Interconnector Converter Station on the ‘Fourfields’ site and HVAC cables connecting the converter station to the Peterhead substation. The plan can be downloaded here:

Aesthetics Workshop - November 2014
Local residents were invited, by way of the flier and an advert in the Buchan Observer to attend a workshop. The aesthetic workshop was held on the 4th of November 2014 in the Buchan Braes Hotel. The aim of the aesthetics workshop was to gain an understanding of the local stakeholders views in terms of:

• Building Aesthetics
• Surrounding landscape uses
• Surrounding landscape aesthetics.

The questionnaire responses and the output of the workshop have informed the landscaping and building design.

Converter Station Consultation - October 2014
In October 2014 a flier and questionnaire were circulated to residents in the immediate vicinity of the proposed infrastructure and the local villages of Boddam and Longhaven. Both documents were also made available on the project website. There were 51 responses to the questionnaire.

Converter Station and HVAC Cable Route Scoping Response - August 2014
Aberdeenshire Council provided a response including the opinion of the statutory consultees.
Aberdeenshire Council scoping response

Converter Station and HVAC Cable Route Scoping Report - June 2014
A scoping report was submitted to Aberdeenshire Council as part of the EIA process for the Interconnector Converter Station and HVAC cable route from the converter station to the Peterhead Substation in June 2014.
Converter Station and AC Line Scoping Report