Fault Takes Kergord HVDC Converter Station Offline

A fault at the Kergord HVDC converter station on Shetland has resulted in the facility being out of action for a week, with repairs ongoing as of 22 July 2026. SSEN Transmission confirmed the fault occurred on Wednesday, 16 July 2026, and said work was underway to restore normal operations.

"Following initial investigations, work is now underway to complete repairs and restore the transmission network to normal operations as quickly as possible," a spokesperson for SSEN Transmission said, adding that repairs were expected to be completed in the coming days.

The company stated separately that the Viking Energy wind farm was offline due to a planned outage of the HVDC link between Shetland and the Scottish mainland, which was scheduled for inspection and maintenance purposes. SSEN Transmission said the HVDC link would return to service early the following week after completion of the planned work.

The Kergord converter station forms part of the Shetland HVDC link, which connects Shetland to the GB electricity transmission system. The link comprises the Kergord converter station and a switching station at Noss Head near Wick in Caithness on the Scottish mainland. SSEN Transmission completed final energisation of the Shetland HVDC project in August 2024.

Frank Hay of campaign group Sustainable Shetland said it was worrying to see issues with the Kergord converter station less than two years after the Viking wind farm went live. "Serious problems this early in the life of the converter station don't auger well for the future reliability of the system," Hay said.

Hay reported that aviation lights on the turbines had been seen turned off at nights, with one turbine at the Mid Kame ridge back online and moving slowly. He suggested a generator may have been used to power up the turbine, and noted that several vehicles were seen driving to the Upper Kergord site on the morning of 22 July, speculating that a team from the mainland may have been brought to Shetland to address the outage.

Turbine blade repairs have also been carried out in recent weeks, with one turbine at Scallafield seen with workers accessing it via a large cherry-picker. SSE said only that the work was routine maintenance.

The Kergord converter station is a key facilitator of the Viking wind farm, developed by SSE Renewables together with partners. Hitachi Energy has been identified as having a role in HVDC equipment or services at the site.