SSE Hires ABB for 1.2GW Transmission Job

SSE’S networks business, SHE Transmission, has awarded £460million contract for the 1.2GW subsea cable system to engineering firm ABB Limited.

The contract is part of the Caithness to Moray Transmission Project, the vital new subsea link which will allow more renewable energy to join up to the network in the north of Scotland. It is Scotland’s largest ever Living Wage contract to date and will support at least 600 jobs.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive of SSE, said: “Just over a year ago SSE became the first energy company to be a Living Wage employer and remains the only energy supplier to do so.

“SSE is proud to play its part when it comes to being a responsible business and one which helps build a fairer and more prosperous Scotland. The new Caithness to Moray contract will make sure hundreds of workers on site will get a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work and reflects our commitment to being a responsible employer.

“It is one of several actions SSE is taking to make a difference including being the first FTSE 100 company to be awarded the Fair Tax Mark.”

The announcement comes ahead of new First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visiting SSE’s Glasgow offices where she will call for a fairer and more prosperous Scotland.

In her first major address to the business community the First Minister is expected to say that paying the Living Wage is one way that businesses in Scotland, like SSE, can help deliver her vision.

Under SSE’s contract, ABB will design, engineer, supply and commission an HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) system running between converter stations at Spittal in central Caithness and Blackhillock, near Keith, in Moray.

The new subsea link, which will feature over 100 miles of underground and subsea cable, is needed to transmit a large volume of electricity from renewable sources in the north of Scotland.

Construction work is expected to be completed in 2018. It is part of a transformational programme of investment in electricity transmission infrastructure to support the transition to lower carbon electricity generation, increasing security of supply and economic growth.

All staff and contractors will be paid at least the Living Wage of £7.65 per hour and £7.85 from April 2015.

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Press release; Image: abb