Cable work at Waternish paused to protect rare corncrake

Work on a major electricity cable project between Skye and South Uist has been temporarily paused after a rare protected bird was found nesting near the construction site.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution confirmed the schedule for the cable installation from Ardmore Bay has been amended to avoid disturbing breeding corncrakes, which are protected under wildlife legislation.

The company said the species was nesting close to the Ardmore site for the first time in many years, and that work would remain paused until the birds migrate.

Credit: Skye Birds

The subsea cable project is intended to improve the resilience of electricity supplies for communities across the islands.

Groups including the Waternish Wildlife Alliance have raised concerns that the cable route could damage a rare maerl bed in Ardmore Bay, a protected marine habitat. They have called for alternative routes to be considered and questioned whether enough environmental assessment has been carried out.

An SSEN Distribution spokesperson said: “The delivery of this project is essential to ensure greater security of the electricity supply for island communities.

“Prior to the statutory licences and permits being granted, our project underwent all of the necessary legal, regulatory and environmental planning processes, with environmental surveys carried out in 2024, 2025 and this year to support our submissions.

“We work closely with RSPB Scotland when our projects are progressing in the vicinity of known nesting sites, so as to avoid any adverse impacts on breeding birds.

“As a particular breed of protected birds is currently nesting close to our Ardmore site for the first time in many years, the project schedule has been amended accordingly until the birds migrate once more.”