Utility giant powers up with partnership for Kilmarnock's Halo

ScottishPower and The Halo Scotland have unveiled a 'groundbreaking' partnership that will see the energy giant established as the headline partner of the Kilmarnock urban regeneration initiative.

ScottishPower: excited to explore the opportunities within this innovative project.

The announcement heralds the launch of a £5 million, five-year programme by ScottishPower and Halo, building upon the “utility of the future” vision.

Halo is a regeneration scheme on the site of the former Johnnie Walker bottling plant in the town. It is being shaped as a “multi-faceted” brown-field regeneration.

ScottishPower will be a leader in The Halo’s Innovation and Enterprise Centre and its digital and cyber zone where The Halo and the power group will create a cyber and digital training and learning facility.

It is expected that the Halo project will contribute £120m of GDP to the Scottish economy annually, create 1,400-plus direct jobs and support some 630 construction jobs.

Keith Anderson, chief executive of ScottishPower, said: “Across all of our business areas, ScottishPower is working to deliver a low carbon and sustainable future. We are a leader in smart and renewable energy and a perfect fit to help The Halo achieve their objectives.

“We are excited to explore the opportunities within this innovative project. There will be a focus on young people, digital skills and energy innovations that we hope will help us move towards a decarbonised transport, heat and energy sector.”

Marie Macklin, founding director of The Halo, added: “In making this commitment ScottishPower is supporting an urban regeneration project that is going to change the lives of young people, not just in Ayrshire but across the whole of Scotland.”