ABPmer was commissioned by Entec on behalf of Scottish and Southern Energy to evaluate the potential impacts of the HVDC cable route and landfall in the Spey Bay area of the Moray Firth for a proposed transmission link between Scotland and the Shetland Islands.

We carried out a coastal processes impact assessment of installing the cable landfall on the beach to the adjacent hinterland and features of the SSSI at the site. We also addressed concerns over potential damage to the cable as a result of nearshore sediment mobility and coastal erosion.

The desk-based study comprised an assessment of historical coastal evolution and baseline coastal processes, which were used to inform the subsequent assessment of the potential impacts of the cable installation and risk to the asset itself.