Japan’s Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (SEI), announced that it has signed a Capacity Reservation Agreement (CRA) with SSEN Transmission to supply and install a second 525 kV HVDC cable link between Shetland and the Scottish mainland.

A press release said that the signing of the CRA was significant as the planned cable will be made from SEI’s new manufacturing facility that is under construction in Nigg, northeast Scotland. Further, cables of this type and technology have never previously been manufactured in the U.K. and the announcement is a significant step towards realizing substantial benefit for the local area and the country as a whole.

“We are delighted to have penned this Capacity Reservation Agreement with SSEN Transmission,” said Yasuyuki Shibata, chair of Sumitomo Electric UK and Europe. “This is a significant milestone for Sumitomo Electric’s subsea cable factory investment in Scotland.”

Last May, SSEN Transmission selected Sumitomo Electric as the preferred bidder for the Shetland 2 project, which at the time was described as a crucial milestone underpinning SEI’s £350 million investment in its new cable manufacturing facility. The approximately 150,000-sq m site was said to be moving along as anticipated. The steelworks and factory fit-out are scheduled to take place in 12 to 15 months. The facility will provide employment for 150 full-time employees and double that number for indirect hires.