£4bn-plus trio of energy products hit green button

● Additionally, partnership established to create hydrogen production facilities

Work has begun on three major Scottish energy construction projects worth more than £4 billion.

The developments by Perthbased SSE–the £3bn Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm near Angus, the £580 million Viking Onshore Wind Farm on Shetland, and the £630m subsea power cable connecting the island to the Scottish mainland – will provide electricity for around 1.5 million UK homes, and support more than 1,000 direct, contractor and supply chain jobs.

This comes as a strategic partnership has been established to create new green hydrogen production facilities with clusters of refuelling stations across Scotland, supporting the nation’s efforts to achieve net zero by 2045.

Green Hydrogen for S cotland–apart ners hip of Scottish power Renewables, industrial gas firm BOC, and ITM Power – will create an offering for reducing vehicle emissions through the provision of green hydrogen.

Hydrogen fuel–which is particularly suitable for larger vehicles – is produced through a chemical process known as electrolysis, using an electrolyser to extract hydrogen from water. Powering the electro - lyser from renewable sources like wind and solar power means the process is completed without any carbon emissions – making the hydrogen “green”. The partnership’s first project, Green Hydrogen for Glasgow, is designed to provide carbon-free transport and clean air for communities across the city, which wants to become the first one in that UK that is net-zero by 2030.

A proposed green hydrogen production facility on the out skirts of the city will be operated by BOC, using wind and solar power produced by Scottishpower Renewables to operate a ten-megawatt electrolyser, with the aim of supplying hydrogen to the commercial market within the next two years.

Meanwhile, the three SSE construction projects will create long-term, highly skilled roles in island and coastal communities. They will also deliver big supply chain contracts for UK businesses, including Glasgow-based RJ Mcleod, Aberdeen-based Seaway 7 and Montrose Port.

Alistair Phillips-davies, SSE chief executive, praised the job-creation, adding: “These three schemes are some of the biggest construction projects in the UK, channelling billions of pounds into the economy – creating jobs, supply chain opportunities and building a greener, cleaner future.

“SSE and its predecessors have been at the cutting edge of electricity generation for almost 80 years and our latest infrastructure projects are changing the face of energy production in the UK.

“Beating our own record to build Scotland’s largest wind farm at Seagreen, connecting Shetland to the mainland electricity grid for the first time and constructing the UK’S most productive onshore wind farm at Viking, we’ re delivering the greener power and reducing carbon emissions for the future.”