A massive multi-million pound subsea electricity contract which will bring hundreds of new jobs has been unveiled by an energy company.
SSE’s billion pound project to lay an underwater cable from Caithness to Moray has reached a pivotal stage and both areas are set to benefit.
Swiss-based company ABB Ltd will engineer the high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable which will run for more than 100 miles on the seabed of the Moray Firth.
The £460million contract will create 600 jobs and is the largest agreement to guarantee every worker is paid the living wage.
Last night community leaders welcomed the announcement and called for the firm to ensure that local workers are offered work.
Councillor Deirdre Mackay, East Sutherland and Edderton, said: “We are surrounded by the means of creating energy but we need to see the benefits and jobs would ensure the sustainability of our communities.”
Stewart Nicol, chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said: “In addition to there being a significant number of jobs in Caithness and Moray, the reasons for this link is to get energy from windfarms in the north down to the grid and into the southern market.
“It is a massively important piece of infrastructure for the north of Scotland.”
Councillor Donnie Mackay, Thurso, said that apprenticeships should be provided for young workers in the north.
The new cable is needed to connect renewable energy from offshore windfarms planned in the Moray Firth, including the Beatrice development, to the national grid.
It will carry up to 1,200MW of electricity – enough to power around 1 million homes – supplying almost half the population of Scotland.
The project, which totals more than £1.2billion, represents the largest investment in the north’s power network since the 1950s.
The scheme also includes a new substation and HVDC converter station at Achnaharras, near Spittal, Caithness, and the expansion of the Blackhillock substation at Keith.
Construction work is expected to be completed in 2018.
A spokesman for Perth-based SSE said the contract would create at least 600 new jobs, many of which would go to local people. He also pointed out that it would support the local economy.
Alistair Phillips-Davies, chief executive of SSE, said: “Just over a year ago SSE became the first energy company to be a Living Wage employer and remains the only energy supplier to do so.
“SSE is proud to play its part when it comes to being a responsible business and one which helps build a fairer and more prosperous Scotland.
“The new Caithness to Moray contract will make sure hundreds of workers on site will get a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work and reflects our commitment to being a responsible employer.”
Peter Kelly, director of The Poverty Alliance, said: “We welcome this announcement from SSE which demonstrates that even in large scale contracts it is possible to pay workers the Living Wage. Scottish businesses can all play their part in building a fairer and more prosperous society and paying the Living Wage is one way to do that.
The announcement comes ahead of new First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s visit to SSE’s Glasgow offices today for her first major address to the business community.
She is expected to call for Scottish businesses to pay the living wage which currently stands at £7.65 per hour and will increase to £7.85 from April 2015.