Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission has announced £10 billion of investment to support offshore wind in Scotland.
It will see the firm connecting 11 gigawatts of ScotWind projects to the mainland.
SSEN is also looking to bring a transmission network to the north as part of its Pathway to 2030 programme, a move it says will power more than 10 million homes in the UK and support 20,000 British jobs, 9,000 of which would be in Scotland.
Its projects include several new onshore reinforcements and subsea links. They are part of the major electricity transmission network upgrade required to meet UK and Scottish Government climate change and energy security targets.
Analysis from BiGGAR Economics found SSEN Transmission’s programme will support thousands of green jobs and contribute more than £6bn in additional value to the UK economy.
About £2.5bn of this is expected to go into the Scottish economy.
UK Energy Minister Graham Stuart said: “SSEN Transmission’s Pathway to 2030 programme is a significant investment into the future of Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
Projects expected to deliver billions of pounds and jobs for UK economy
“This is a £6.2bn economic boost for the UK which will deliver long-term and well-paid jobs, whilst helping Britain achieve home-grown energy security and an electricity network fit for the future.”
SSEN Transmission created 400 jobs in Scotland last year and a further 500 new recruits are expected to join the business in 2023.
These 900 roles include technical jobs at all levels to help facilitate some of the major development projects in the pipeline.
Some are project management roles to boost “customer and stakeholder engagement”.
Scottish Energy Secretary Neil Gray said Pathway to 2030 highlights “the significant opportunities that such investment in our grid infrastructure will bring for our workforce, our supply chain, and our regional and national economies.
He added: “I look forward to the… programme progressing at pace to help realise the ambition set out in our draft energy strategy – and deliver a fair and just energy transition in what is a decisive decade for action.”
These investments will unleash the economic potential of the north of Scotland.”
SSEN Transmission managing director Rob McDonald said: “The development and delivery of our Pathway to 2030 programme is critical to enable the deployment of homegrown and affordable, low-carbon power, with this £10bn investment in grid arguably the most important enabler to securing the UK’s future energy security and net-zero ambitions.
“These investments will unleash the economic potential of the north of Scotland, supporting thousands of highly skilled jobs and delivering significant economic growth across the economy.”
