SSEN Transmission announced an investment of £10bn in the electricity transmission network in northern Scotland under the ‘Pathway to 2030 programme’ to facilitate the grid connection of up to 11GW of new offshore wind capacity.
The new offshore wind capacity, which is expected to come from the ScotWind offshore wind projects, will power over ten million households in the UK.
SSEN Transmission’s investment announcement is said to support 20,000 jobs across the UK, of which 9,000 will be in Scotland.
The electricity transmission network business of SSE said that the Pathway to 2030 programme is aimed at financing several new onshore reinforcements, subsea links, and other projects.
According to SSEN Transmission, these projects are part of a wider electricity transmission network upgrade across Britain to meet the UK and Scotland governments’ climate change and energy security goals.
The company’s new investment programme will contribute more than £6bn in additional value to the UK economy. This includes about a direct additional benefit of £2.5bn in Scotland, said SSEN Transmission, citing a new analysis conducted by BiGGAR Economics.
UK Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero Graham Stuart said: “SSEN Transmission’s Pathway to 2030 programme is a significant investment into the future of Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
“This is a £6.2 billion economic boost for the UK which will deliver long-term and well-paid jobs whilst helping Britain achieve home grown energy security and an electricity network fit for the future.”
Furthermore, the Pathway to 2030 programme is projected to explore the vast potential of the north of Scotland to meet the 2030 goals of both the UK and the Scottish governments by boosting the grid capacity.
In November 2022, SSE agreed to sell a stake of 25% in SSEN Transmission to Canada’s Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (Ontario Teachers) for £1.46bn.
