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North of Scotland electricity network to have £450m upgrade

SSEN A helicopter flies in a blue cloudy sky above a power lineSSEN
SSEN said the investment would make the existing network "more resilient"

The electricity network in the north of Scotland will be improved with a £450m investment by the end of the decade, an energy firm has announced.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said the work would create at least 300 skilled jobs.

SSEN also said it would make existing supplies "more resilient" and support decarbonisation of communities and industry by connecting solar panels and heat pumps to the network.

The areas covered include Dundee, Aberdeen, the Highlands and all of Scotland's islands.

The investment will see the existing network of wooden poles and overhead lines upgraded, substations updated, and improvements to the underground network.

Fraser Wilson of SSEN said the investment would offer a "real refresh".

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We will be making it more reliable, replacing equipment that's already there, giving it more capacity, so when people want to connect to the network the power for them will be there.

"The whole system at distribution level, which is what goes into homes and businesses, will be refurbished and refreshed."

SSEN A picture of SSEN lines and poles outdoors on a grassy patch of land, during a sunrise SSEN
The existing network of wooden poles and overhead lines will be upgraded

SSEN said the investment would tackle climate change by helping homes move away from fossil fuels, by connecting EVs and heat pumps to the system.

Mr Wilson added the upgrade programme could require roadworks or temporary interruptions to power supply.

Five companies - OCU Utility Services Ltd, Clancy Ltd, Freedom Group Ltd, Macaulay Askernish Ltd and Brush Group - will be contract partners for the investment.

Fraser Hood, SSEN's director of large capital delivery, said this would "reduce supply chain risks and secure specialist skills."

Gillian Martin, the Scottish government's energy secretary, said the investment would "bring benefits for our workforce, our supply chains, and our regional and national economies".

She added: "Decarbonising Scotland's economy depends heavily on significant investment in the upkeep and futureproofing of our electricity system, so the network can meet the demand from users now and in the future."