Planning consent has been granted for a major clean energy hub on the Isle of Lewis that will, for the first time, connect the Western Isles to the GB transmission network and unlock up to 1.8 GW of new renewable electricity generation.
Local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has approved SSEN Transmission’s plans for the Lewis Hub, a high‑voltage direct current (HVDC) converter station and associated AC substation on Arnish Moor near Stornoway. The hub forms a central part of the Western Isles HVDC Connection Project, which will carry power via subsea and underground cables from Lewis to a new converter and substation complex near Fanellan, close to Beauly, on the mainland. Once built, the scheme will connect the Western Isles to the GB transmission system for the first time, ending a two‑decade wait for grid access and helping to tap the islands’ significant onshore and offshore wind potential.
Councillors granted planning permission at a special meeting of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar following a detailed presentation from planning officers. SSEN Transmission said consent comes after more than two years of development work and community consultation, with construction on the Lewis Hub expected to begin early next year subject to remaining conditions being discharged. The hub sits within SSEN Transmission’s wider “Pathway to 2030” investment programme, which runs to March 2031 and is designed to support the UK and Scottish Governments’ clean power and energy security targets.
The project is being led by SSEN Transmission, the Perth‑headquartered electricity transmission owner for the north of Scotland, under a programme independently assessed as necessary by the National Energy System Operator and approved by Ofgem. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is the planning authority that has now granted consent, while stakeholders have included nearby residents, landowners and community groups around Stornoway and Arnish Point.
Alison Hall, Director of Development for SSEN Transmission, welcomed the decision, saying it would “help fulfil a decades‑long ambition to connect the Western Isles to the GB transmission network” and act as “a major driver of jobs and economic activity” through new housing and infrastructure upgrades supporting “economic and social growth for the islands.”
Lead development project manager Colin Bell said the consent “is the culmination of a detailed development process where we have sought to achieve the best balance from a community, environmental and technical perspective,” highlighting the company’s move from its original preferred site at Creed North to Arnish Moor “to listen and act on feedback.” He added: “We will continue to engage constructively with the local community throughout the lifetime of this project, as we fulfil our commitment to being a good neighbour and delivering a positive legacy.”
