
Scottish Power Ltd.’s SP Energy Networks has agreed on deals worth GBP 1.4 billion ($1.9 billion) for critical onshore transmission projects across central and southern Scotland. ScottishPower said in a media release that the commitment will help with the delivery of the government’s Clean Power 2030 mission.
Part of a GBP 5.4 billion ($7.4 billion) decade-long investment to upgrade the grid, these contracts help SP Energy Networks build long-term partnerships with UK businesses to rewire the electricity network. This program aims to increase capacity for new homes, businesses, and clean energy, as well as improve power distribution, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and enhance energy security, ScottishPower said.
“These strategic partnerships give suppliers the confidence to invest in themselves – growing their workforce, opening new offices across the country, and creating even greater opportunities for the UK”, Nicola Connelly, CEO of SP Energy Networks, said. “This is great news for the UK and Scottish supply chains, with every pound spent directly benefiting central and southern Scotland and its infrastructure for decades to come”.
The contracts cover new and upgraded high-voltage substations, overhead line construction, design, engineering, construction, and electrical works, ScottishPower said.
The strategic collaborations last five years, with a possibility of a 10-year extension. Seventeen out of the 19 suppliers are in the UK, according to ScottishPower.
“These SP Energy Networks partnerships take us a step closer to reaching clean power by 2030, in modernizing the country’s outdated network to get more of clean power generated in Scotland to homes and businesses across the country”, Energy Minister Michael Shanks said. “This is the clean power transition in action – investing in British supply chains that will bring skilled jobs and economic growth to communities in Scotland and beyond”.
Morgan Sindall Infrastructure is the sole contractor for the substation and overhead lines in the Denny-to-Wishaw project. A joint office will open at Eurocentral in the autumn, ScottishPower said.
“Projects like the Denny to Wishaw Network Optimization will improve resilience and energy security, boost capacity to meet future demand, and connect Scotland to greener, renewable energy. In upgrading the transmission network, we will be able to bring skills and employment to the central belt, and leave a lasting legacy in the local communities”, Peter Kirk, Managing Director for Energy at Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, said.
ScottishPower has committed to doubling its UK investment to GBP 24 billion by 2028, with two-thirds allocated to electricity networks.
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