A Tranent based company has been awarded the contract to fabricate around 500 steel towers for overhead electricity transmission in the Highlands.
The jobs boost this will bring was celebrated at an event on Thursday afternoon.
In the last six months alone Had-Fab which has won the new contract has increased employee numbers from 120 to 197, and this is expected to grow to 250 in the next year. SSEN Transmission say that they will support other posts during the grid upgrade projects.
Anthony Jones, Chief Commercial Officer of Had-Fab said: “These contracts reflect the continuing trust placed in Had-Fab’s capabilities and the strength of our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and engineering excellence. We are proud to play a central role in building the infrastructure that will help power a greener future.”
As the transmission operator for the north of Scotland, SSEN Transmission expects to invest at least £22billion in the period to March 2031 as part of a wider renewal of the electricity transmission system across Great Britain – including several new 400kV overhead lines – that are required to enable the homegrown low-carbon electricity needed to deliver UK and Scottish clean power and energy security targets.
At the contracts award ceremony, senior representatives of Had-Fab, SSEN Transmission, Murphy and Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd were joined by the Secretary of State for Scotland in the UK Government, Ian Murray MP, and the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy in the Scottish Government, Gillian Martin MSP.
Also in attendance were MSPs Paul McLennan, the constituency member for East Lothian; and Martin Whitfield, member for the South Scotland region, which includes East Lothian.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray MP said: “This is great news for our country’s clean power ambitions, and for more skilled jobs in here in Scotland.
“The significant investment in Had-Fab will help to support more than 250 jobs, creating opportunities and putting more money in people’s pockets.
“This work is critical to unlocking Scotland’s vast renewable energy potential. The transmission towers being manufactured in East Lothian will form the backbone of the grid infrastructure we need to carry clean electricity generated by wind farms in the north of Scotland to benefit communities across Scotland and elsewhere in the UK.”
Energy Secretary Gillian Martin MSP said: “Ensuring renewable power can flow from where it is generated to where it is needed is critical to Scotland’s just transition to net zero and for fully realising the economic opportunities from our abundant resources.
“I welcome this investment by SSEN Transmission to upgrade the grid across the north of Scotland and ensure companies based in Scotland benefit from the supply chain opportunities.
“It is also vital that local communities and businesses benefit from all aspects of our green revolution and just energy transition to net zero. We are committed to working with partners to ensure the delivery of renewable energy comes with benefits for people in Scotland and support a green and growing economy in which nobody is left behind.”
Had-Fab has a long-standing relationship with SSEN Transmission, having provided fabricated steel and aluminium for several other overhead line and substation projects, including on the Argyll and Kintore 275kV Reinforcement Project that is in construction, and this new work accelerates the company’s investment and employment growth plans.
The new posts will cover all of Had-Fab’s business operations: Design and Engineering; Project Management and Planning; Commercial and Finance; Operations – Fabricators, Machine Operators, skilled and semi-skilled; Logistics; Construction activities; Safety, Health, Environment and Quality; and an associated increase in apprenticeship numbers.
