Five contractors picked for £450m Scottish grid overhaul

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Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has appointed five contractors to deliver a £450m upgrade to the electricity distribution network in northern Scotland.

The framework, which runs until 2030, will create or safeguard at least 300 skilled jobs, SSEN said.

Work will cover nine sub-regions across the licence area, including Dundee, Aberdeen, the Highlands and all of Scotland’s islands, it added in a statement yesterday (6 April).

CN100 contractors OCU Utility Services and Clancy, plus Freedom Group, Macaulay Askernish and Brush Group—including subsidiaries KUS Power Engineering and McGowan Group — have been selected following a competitive tender.

SSEN said the investment will see the replacement of wooden poles and overhead lines, upgrades to substations and reinforcement of underground infrastructure.

The programme is designed to improve network resilience, support connections to low-carbon technologies and “increase reliability for all of our customers”, it added.

Fraser Hood, SSEN’s director of large capital delivery, said the “transformative” programme will include “significant job opportunities during construction in communities across the north of Scotland”.

The works support SSEN’s delivery of its RIIO-ED2 business plan and SSE Group’s Net Zero Acceleration Programme Plus. SSEN said the structure of the framework would allow for more efficient planning and reduced disruption to customers.

Clancy has been appointed to deliver works in Argyll, Perthshire and Tayside.

The firm said its scope of work will include the design and construction of new substations, cable replacement and overhead line upgrades.

Source: SSEN