• SSEN Distribution is to invest almost half a billion pounds improving the north of Scotland’s local electricity networks.

  • At least 300 skilled jobs will be created or secured through this programme.

  • This investment will make the existing network more resilient and provide additional capacity to support the decarbonisation of communities and industry.

We've now announced the names of the contract partners who’ll deliver a £450m programme of investment in the north of Scotland’s electricity distribution network between now and the turn of the decade.

Our newly-announced contract partners will deliver improvements across nine sub-regions of the north of Scotland network licence area. These works will boost network resilience in the face of a more volatile climate, support the connection of low carbon technologies and decarbonised industries, and increase reliability for all of our customers.

The investment will see our existing network of wooden poles and overhead lines renewed and reinforced, substations updated, and improvements made to the underground network. Our distribution network takes electricity on the final part of its journey into homes and businesses, so it’s a critical link to allow people to connect both existing devices - and new technologies like EV chargers, solar panels and heat pumps - to the network.

Five companies; OCU Utility Services Ltd, Clancy Ltd, Freedom Group Ltd, Macaulay Askernish Ltd and Brush Group (which includes KUS Power Engineering and McGowan Group) will between them lead the delivery of upgrades in nine allocated areas within our north of Scotland licence area. This huge, diverse region covers rural communities, villages, towns and cities, from Dundee and Aberdeen, to Argyll, the Highlands and all of Scotland’s islands.

These companies will be our delivery partners for the transformative system upgrade to the north of Scotland’s electricity distribution infrastructure. Their work will support the realisation of SSEN’s RIIO-ED2 commitments, help drive the delivery of SSE Group’s Net Zero Acceleration Programme Plus (NZAP+) targets, and play a critical role in delivering the holistic benefits the move to net zero will provide communities.   

These types of frameworks agreed with partners will allow us to plan work in a more effective and efficient way, completing upgrades, connections and asset replacement at the same time, and ultimately reducing the impact on customers by working on the network as efficiently as possible.   

The Scottish Government’s Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP, says:

“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.

“I welcome this substantial investment from SSEN Distribution in the north of Scotland, which will not only bring benefits for our workforce, our supply chains, and our regional and national economies but also support our net zero targets.” 

SSEN’s Director of Large Capital Delivery, Fraser Hood, says:

“We’re proud to have signed agreements which will deliver massive improvements to local electricity networks in the north of Scotland. The transformative investment we’re making means we’re in the best-possible position to deliver an electricity system which will support sustainable economic growth, benefit the environment in the decades to come, and create significant job opportunities during construction in communities across the north of Scotland.

“In selecting these five contract partners after a fair, open, and competitive tendering process, we’ve secured the ability to deliver our massive programme of investment efficiently and effectively. This transformation will ensure increased resilience, flexibility, and capacity for our 800,000 customers in the north of Scotland.

“The way these partnerships have been drawn up will mean we can reduce supply chain risks and secure the specialist skills we need to help deliver decarbonisation effectively for our customers and communities.”