Construction work is under way on the first of two substations to be built at Spittal. The works, which began in November, sees SHE Transmission investing £39 million as part of the Caithness to Moray Transmission Project.
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.
Director of Transmission, Dave Gardner said: “We recently announced Scotland’s biggest ever Living Wage contract as part of this Caithness-Moray project and we’re proud to be using local companies and their workforces to build these vital transmission links.
“Twelve full-time staff from Edward McKay of Brora are dealing with the initial earthworks, with that number rising to 20 when the main earthworks begin in January. Another local company, Far North Fencing will be looking after site security and fencing during the festive period.”
As Scotland’s largest ever Living Wage contract to date, the project will support at least 600 jobs with all staff and contractors being paid at least the Living Wage of £7.65 per hour and £7.85 from April 2015.
Glyn Lloyd, SSEPD’s Project Manager, added: “We are committed to carrying out our work safely and with the minimum disruption to both the local communities and the environment.
“It’s an additional boost to be able to use companies local to the area to assist with the project through the construction of these two substations in Spittal.”
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.