New generation for Scottish energy with creation of 1,500 jobs

The Spanish-owned firm said it needs the extra staff over the next ten years to upgrade about 500 miles of overhead power lines and carry out upgrades to the electricity grid links between England and Scotland.

It plans to connect up to 11 gigawatts of renewable energy projects in the next decade, which it says would be capable of generating four times as much electricity as Longannet Power Station.

ScottishPower said it would require a substantial number of new apprentices to carry out the work and hopes to train up young people into highly skilled jobs.

Research has suggested four out of five energy industry employees are due to retire over the next 15 years and ScottishPower said it wants a new generation of workers.

Frank Mitchell, chief executive of ScottishPower Energy Networks, said: "Massive investment is required to ensure that Scotland's electricity network is fit for the 21st century.

"It is important that we have a modern and robust network to support our renewable energy ambitions and to provide reliability for those who generate electricity and the homes and businesses that rely on it."

He added: "It is no secret that our industry has an ageing workforce, and we need to encourage new blood in to the fold."

The SNP has a target of generating the equivalent of 100 per cent of Scotland's electricity demand from green sources by 2020.

Generators warn that new power lines are needed to enable renewable energy projects to be connected to the grid so they can transmit electricity. And ScottishPower wants to increase transmission capacity between Scotland and England to at least 6.6 gigawatts, which would allow the transfer of nearly three times as much electricity as is currently possible.

At present, generators in Scotland struggle due to lack of access to the grid. Power plants can be asked to shut down if the grid system is full and they are compensated out of the public purse.

ScottishPower estimates its work to boost grid capacity will bring about savings to the taxpayer of 1.6bn by 2021, rising to 11bn by 2030 due to a reduction in compensation payments.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "ScottishPower's plans to upgrade transmission will ensure the grid is capable of carrying increasing supplies of clean green energy generated to domestic and European markets.

"With plans to harness up to 10 gigawatts of offshore capacity in Scottish waters by 2020, alongside other renewable sources, it will be essential that generators can distribute power to where it is needed."Niall Stuart, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: "This announcement from ScottishPower is not only good news in terms of creating jobs and investment but is also a clear sign that barriers faced by some developers in connecting to the grid will be lifted."

However, Norman Kerr, director of Energy Action Scotland ,hoped the upgrade would not lead to increased energy bills. He said: "There are already a number of hidden charges on energy users' bills and if any further collection of monies to fund this type of work is required, it must be made very transparent."

He added: "This kind of investment has surely been paid for by consumers already through the profits made by the fuel companies over the last few years."