1,000 jobs up for grabs as ScottishPower kicks off green recruitment drive

ScottishPower is launching the biggest recruitment drive in company history with at least 1,000 jobs going up for grabs within the next year.

It follows a huge expansion in the energy firm’s project pipeline after it secured a record number of green infrastructure schemes in the first half of 2022.

These new jobs will range from trainees to time served trades and supporting roles, across all areas of ScottishPower’s businesses.

Two months ago ScottishPower announced their green hydrogen partnership with Storegga to “transform” the industry in the Highlands.

The two firms agreed to develop, build and operate a series of green hydrogen production plants across Scotland, with the first to be focused in the Cromarty Firth region, north of Inverness.

When announcing the recruitment drive, ScottishPower described its recent work as “integral to delivering the UK’s ambitious net zero targets”.

ScottishPower’s recent work

• Securing contracts for 16 renewable energy projects – offshore, onshore and solar – across the UK in the Allocation Round 4 process. Totalling 2.1 GW, the schemes almost double the company’s green energy generation capacity.
• This month, the ESO’s Holistic Network Design plan set out the need for £5bn of investment in 12 SP Energy Networks onshore transmission projects, something that ScottishPower describes as “essential for delivering the UK’s 2030 offshore wind targets”.
• In June, Ofgem published its Draft Determination for a £3bn upgrade for SP Energy Networks distribution network as part of the ED2 price control. This forms the basis for preparing the electricity network to connect renewable energy and the electrification of transport and heat.
• In January, the firm was one of the winners in the ScotWind leasing auction, securing seabed rights for three offshore projects with a total capacity of 7GW. That includes two large-scale floating projects in partnership with Shell, and one solo fixed project, trebling ScottishPower’s offshore wind pipeline to more than 10GW.

© Supplied by All-Energy/ Newsline

ScottishPower chief executive Keith Anderson said: “The future of energy in the UK has become a critical issue.

“Our climate change ambitions, the importance of energy sovereignty and the cost-of-living crisis all point to a need for speed in delivering more green, more secure and more affordable energy.

“These three critical needs are not in conflict with each other and, given our unique position in the UK as the only integrated energy company investing in renewables, electricity grids and helping homes to decarbonise, ScottishPower is an engine for growth across the communities we serve.

“The momentum of the first six months of 2022 and our record of achievement now gives us our biggest ever investment pipeline of green energy assets to help deliver the Government’s energy strategy and net zero for the UK.

“As a direct result, we now need at least 1,000 people to join us in new positions over the next twelve months to design, build and operate this green energy infrastructure and that’s why today, we’re issuing our biggest ever call for green recruits right across the country to fulfil our ambitions.”

COP26 president Alok Sharma MP commented: “I welcome the announcement from ScottishPower that it is launching its biggest ever recruitment drive in green jobs, with at least 1000 jobs to be filled in the next 12 months.

“In November 2020 the UK Government launched the Green Jobs Taskforce to support the creation of 2 million skilled jobs to build back greener from the Covid-19 pandemic, and reach net zero emissions by 2050.

“Long term, good quality green jobs are crucial for the UK’s economic recovery and tackling climate change. This green jobs push will help set the direction for the market as we transition to a high skill, low carbon economy.”