Regulatory Other

By 8 April 2026, SSEN Transmission had submitted its planning appeal to the Scottish Government's Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) against Highland Council's 5 February 2026 refusal of the Fanellan 400kV AC substation and HVDC converter station. The appeal was lodged alongside a parallel DPEA appeal against the refusal of the Carnaig substation near Bonar Bridge (part of the separate SLU4 Loch Buidhe to Spittal reinforcement). Government ministers have appointed a reporter to determine the Fanellan appeal; under DPEA procedure, the reporter typically makes the recommendation and either the reporter or Scottish Ministers issues the final decision. SSEN Transmission director of development Alison Hall stated that the appeals will allow "the merits of the projects to be fully and fairly considered". The outcome of the Fanellan appeal is now the critical-path consenting milestone for the Western Isles HVDC Link, as the mainland converter station cannot be built without it.</description>