THE troubled £1.2 billion Western Link cable project from Hunterston has been hit with a gigantic £158 million fine for causing a two year delay of the scheme.

Ofgem has completed its investigation and has ordered National Grid Electricity Transmission and Scottish Power to pay the hefty sum in a 'redress package'.

The enormous logistical project is a joint venture between the two power companies that transfers energy from renewable sources – primarily Scotland’s offshore windfarms.

It provides an additional 2,250MW of capacity to the grid, the equivalent of powering over two million homes.

The project includes a 422km cable, the majority of which is underwater, and was created by Siemens and Prysmian and runs from Ardneil Bay to the north coast of Wales.

It was scheduled to become operational in 2015, ahead of the regulator’s deadline of 2017. 

However, this slipped to summer 2019 - it has suffered a number of outages since, including a high profile one earlier this year.

Ofgem's probe discovered that the wait was caused by manufacturing issues, installing issues and commissioning tests.

The two year process meant that renewable generators in Scotland were prevented from exporting electricity because there was not sufficient capacity.

As a consequence, National Grid ESO at times had to reduce the output from windfarm generators to protect the electricity system, resulting in higher energy prices for the consumer.

Both Scottish Power and NGET have accepted responsibility for the delay.

A total of £15 million of the package will go to Ofgem’s Redress Fund. The remaining £143 million will be returned via reduced system charges, ultimately leading to lower bills.

An Ofgem spokesperson said: “To deliver the UK’s climate change ambitions, more of our electricity will come from renewable generation. This is already happening, with offshore wind and other projects in development.

"Innovative projects such as the Western Link are vital in moving clean energy from where it’s produced to where it’s needed.

“However, they must be delivered on time and to the standards agreed. Where they are not, as the energy regulator, we will hold the licensees accountable.”

The entire project has gone through five phases including the construction of a converter station in Hunterston to change from the current DC system to an AC system so it can be used with the current electricity transmission system.