McArthur responds to delay of subsea cable replacement for North Ronaldsay  

Responding to an announcement from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Distribution that the replacement subsea cable connecting North Ronaldsay and Sanday will now not be delivered before the end of 2026, Orkney's MSP Liam McArthur has expressed his disappointment that North Ronaldsay residents will face yet more delays.

The cable, which supplies electricity to North Ronaldsay, experienced a fault in February 2026. In March, it was determined that a new cable would be required, with the end of 2026 set as a timeline for delivery.  

SSEN have now announced that replacement will not take place until Spring 2027 at the earliest, owing to a number of challenges that have effected confidence in deliverability.  

Commenting, Mr McArthur said:  

"Islanders have already experienced significant long term disruption since the initial cable fault in North Ronaldsay at the beginning of the year.  

"I know from my engagement with SSEN that contingency measures are being put in place to ensure the resilience of electricity supplies, but also to provide means of compensation for those that have had to turn off turbines. I welcome the steps that are being taken in this regard, having raised concerns that had been shared with me by constituents about the impact locally.  

“All steps must now be taken to ensure there is no further slippage in delivery, however. Above all, islanders desperately need to see this issue resolved and to have some certainty about when they can expect that to happen.”