Wed, 12 Nov 2025

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 SSE to invest £33bn in upgrading Scotland's electricity grid

The company plans to spend two-thirds of that to upgrade wiring and increase high-voltage grid capacity to get power from the north to customers in the south.

* SSE plans to invest £33bn over five years, with two-thirds going towards upgrading high-voltage grid capacity and wiring in the north of Scotland.
* The company faces criticism from Highland community councils who object to the impact of the upgrade on the environment and local communities.
* SSE's investment plan includes erecting tall pylons and building large sub-stations, as well as improving lower-voltage wiring in areas where it has a distribution franchise.
* £5bn will be spent on upgrading household meters to enable air heat converters and car charging.
* The company is reducing its investment in offshore wind power but remains a major developer in the North Sea.
* SSE's share price rose 11% after it placed £2bn-worth of new shares, with funding also coming from debt and income from current assets.
* The company has expanded its staff to carry out the work, recruiting apprentices and graduates, as well as seeking out workers from the offshore oil and gas industry.
* SSE directly employs 7,000 people in Scotland and nearly 49,000 across the UK.
* The company's investment plan was welcomed by Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons.
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