SSEN Distribution has published details of a £450m investment programme in the north of Scotland's electricity distribution network and named the five companies that will deliver it. The announcement was made on 6 April 2025 and covers work running "between now and the turn of the decade"1.
The five contract partners are OCU Utility Services Ltd, Clancy Ltd, Freedom Group Ltd, Macaulay Askernish Ltd and Brush Group, which includes KUS Power Engineering and McGowan Group. Between them they will lead delivery of upgrades in nine allocated areas within SSEN's north of Scotland licence area, a region the company describes as covering rural communities, villages, towns and cities from Dundee and Aberdeen to Argyll, the Highlands and all of Scotland's islands1.
The work covers renewal and reinforcement of existing wooden poles and overhead lines, substation updates and improvements to the underground network. SSEN states the programme will create or secure at least 300 skilled jobs, and that the investment will make the existing network more resilient and provide additional capacity to support the decarbonisation of communities and industry1.
"This transformation will ensure increased resilience, flexibility, and capacity for our 800,000 customers in the north of Scotland."
SSEN says the framework agreements with partners will allow work to be planned more efficiently, completing upgrades, connections and asset replacement at the same time and reducing the impact on customers. The company states the work will support its RIIO-ED2 commitments and help drive SSE Group's Net Zero Acceleration Programme Plus (NZAP+) targets1. The Scottish Government's Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP, welcomed the investment, saying decarbonising Scotland's economy "depends heavily on significant investment in the upkeep and futureproofing of our electricity system"1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Investment | £450m |
| Contract partners | OCU Utility Services Ltd, Clancy Ltd, Freedom Group Ltd, Macaulay Askernish Ltd, Brush Group |
| Sub-regions covered | Nine |
| Jobs | At least 300 created or secured |
| Customers in licence area | 800,000 |
| Programme period | To the turn of the decade |
Why it matters for households
The distribution network is the final part of the electricity journey into homes and businesses. SSEN states it is a critical link allowing people to connect existing devices and new technologies such as EV chargers, solar panels and heat pumps to the network1. For households in the north of Scotland, the programme is aimed at improving reliability and capacity on the local network that serves them. SSEN's licence area in the north of Scotland is distinct from the SP Energy Networks area covering central Scotland, and households unsure which company operates their local wires can check via the distribution network operator lookup. The wider context of generation, networks and island connections in Scotland is set out in the site's guide to energy supply in Scotland, and SSEN's own record on storms and priority services is covered in the SSEN Distribution guide.
What happens next
The programme is scheduled to run to the turn of the decade1. SSEN has not reported a detailed timetable for individual sub-regions, nor which partner is allocated to which area.