First Minister hears how energy transition delivers

Speaking at Our Future, Built Here, our event held with The Herald last night, attended by the First Minister of Scotland and senior business leaders, Keith Anderson said clean energy is driving economic growth far beyond the energy sector itself.

Our £24 billion investment programme is supporting around 1,000 new jobs every year, with more than half of our workforce based in Scotland. We have just welcomed our largest-ever intake of apprentices, trainees and graduates, with more than 300 young people beginning their careers this month.

But the benefits are also being felt throughout the wider economy. We spend around £3.8 billion annually with approximately 3,000 supply chain companies, supporting more than 80,000 jobs indirectly. Since 2023, £2.7 billion has been spent with Scottish businesses, helping companies invest, expand and create new employment opportunities.

We have launched the Our Future, Built Here campaign to shine a light on our supply chain that are the beating heart of communities up and down the UK.

Businesses like Luddon Construction, Kirby Group, Hitachi Energy and RES are all expanding and recruiting on account of ScottishPower contract wins, creating skilled jobs and investing in local communities. The First Minister and others heard of the very real and positive impact the major grid rewiring is having on their business and people.

Keith Anderson, ScottishPower CEO, said: "Growth becomes real when local businesses win contracts, when apprentices are recruited, when wages rise and when communities see a future worth investing in.

"The energy transition is showing what can be achieved when long-term ambition is matched with investment, certainty and partnership between industry and government."

He added that continued investment in renewable energy, electricity networks and energy security will help strengthen regional economies while reducing reliance on international gas markets.

The event brought together political leaders, industry representatives and businesses to discuss how Scotland can build on successful growth stories and create prosperity in communities across the country.

Companies like Luddon Construction, which started off as a small civil engineering business operating from a van and now has around £40 million of ScottishPower contracts and employing hundreds of people. And Kirby Group, growing out of Northern Ireland but has opened two Scottish offices and moved to even bigger premises in Glasgow to accommodate their new recruits to deliver grid rewiring.