£45m investment for Caithness and Sutherland to get future power into homes and businesses
More than £45 million will be spent across Caithness and Sutherland to help get homes and businesses set up to receive more power.
SSEN Distribution has named the contractor which will work on the renewal and reinforcement of the electricity distribution network in the far north.
This includes renewing wooden poles and overhead lines, upgrading and updating substations and making improvements to the underground cable network.
The £45 million deal awarded to BRUSH Group for the Caithness and Sutherland licence area is part of a wider £450 million programme of investment in the north of Scotland network between now and the turn of the decade.
This major investment by SSEN – announced under the banner of its Large Capital Delivery Framework (LCDF) – will see contract partners delivering improvements across nine sub-regions of the company’s Scottish licence area, sitting alongside the work traditionally carried out by its regional depots to power local communities.
The firm said that all of the work being undertaken by BRUSH – which includes KUS Power Engineering and McGowan Group – and SSEN’s depot teams is designed to 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 every customer.
The distribution network takes electricity on the final part of its journey into homes and businesses, so this project is separate from the controversial proposals for the Spittal to Beauly overhead powerline upgrade. SSEN says that the distribution network is critical in powering local communities while at the same time enabling people to connect both existing and new technologies such as EV chargers, solar panels and heat pumps to the network.
SSEN’s director of large capital delivery, Fraser Hood, said: “The job of helping deliver decarbonisation and its benefits for society is an enormous one, but this record investment from SSEN in the north of Scotland means we’re in the best possible position to effectively and efficiently deliver the fit-for-purpose electricity system for the future.
“In selecting our contract partners after a fair, open and competitive tendering process, we’ve secured the ability to deliver our massive programme of investment. This will ensure increased resilience, flexibility and capacity for our 800,000 customers in the north of Scotland.
“At SSEN Distribution, we’re committed to being at the heart of the communities we serve. Our investment of over £45m across Caithness and Sutherland will boost the reliability and resilience of our infrastructure here, and this partnership with BRUSH Group will also help maintain and create skilled jobs across these communities.”
The framework agreed with the BRUSH Group will allow SSEN to plan work in a more effective and efficient way, it suggests, completing upgrades, connections and asset replacement while reducing the impact on customers.
BRUSH Group describes itself as “a solutions-engineering company with a deep understanding of energy systems”.
Its CEO Nicolas Pitrat said: “I’m thrilled that BRUSH Group will be playing its part in SSEN’s commitment to upgrade the UK’s infrastructure. Our group businesses, KUS Power Engineering and McGowan Infrastructure, will continue to work as one team to deliver for SSEN in not one, but three geographical areas – Aberdeenshire, and Caithness and Sutherland. Together they will leverage their extensive engineering experience and knowledge of the region to further shape, enhance and transform the Scottish energy landscape.
“Being recognised as the single source provider for two regions is testament to our significant in-house capabilities and reflects our ability to deliver complex, bespoke, power engineering solutions.
“We now look forward to delivering on SSEN’s dynamic plans and working together to secure safe, reliable and sustainable power for communities across the region.”
