A new Highland hub in Inverness is set to support more than 200 people as BAM and SSEN Transmission step up delivery of major electricity infrastructure projects across the north of Scotland. The shared office will act as a central base for engineering and energy teams, bringing together BAM staff, SSEN Transmission colleagues and supply chain partners to coordinate work on grid upgrades that will strengthen energy security and support clean power targets.
The Inverness base underpins SSEN Transmission’s multi‑billion‑pound investment plans, part of more than £22 billion committed to modernising the electricity network in the region. BAM has already added over 360 full‑time roles to Scotland’s energy networks sector in the past two years, and the new hub is designed to support this growing workforce and provide a long‑term presence in Highland communities.
SSEN Transmission recently became the first company to sign the Highland Social Value Charter, promising a wide package of benefits linked to grid investment, including substantial contracts for local businesses, upgrades to roads and bridges and support for new housing. The Inverness hub is described as a practical example of how the clean energy transition can create skilled jobs, improve infrastructure and keep more economic value in the north of Scotland.
Developing local talent is a central part of the plan, with a strong focus on young people entering the energy and construction sectors. BAM’s partnership with the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) plays a key role, with around 30 apprentices on block‑release programmes that combine paid work on live projects with study towards degree‑level qualifications.
Adrian Collins, Director of Energy Networks Scotland at BAM, said: “This collaboration office strengthens how we work alongside SSEN Transmission and our supply chain partners, and it gives people across our projects a shared base, that will help us deliver consistently for communities across the Highlands and Islands.”
Sandy Mactaggart, Director of Offshore Delivery at SSEN Transmission, said: “This new shared working hub in Inverness is another example of how the transition to a clean power future through upgrading the electricity grid is creating skilled jobs in communities across the north of Scotland. Achieving national energy security through more affordable, low carbon homegrown electricity and building local economic opportunity go hand in hand.
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“Last week, SSEN Transmission became the first business to sign up to the Highland Social Value Charter. This ensures investment in a modern electricity grid can deliver both energy security and economic development. It will underpin the future Highland economy for decades to come, thereby forging stronger communities. We’re bringing jobs, new housing, contracts for local businesses, and investment in roads and infrastructure to the Highlands, giving more people the chance to live and work here.”
“Our teams are playing a central role in delivering the transmission infrastructure that will support a low-carbon future. The investment we have made in our Scottish workforce over the past two years shows the scale of opportunity this programme offers, and the importance of having a strong presence in local communities.
Through this model, apprentices gain both classroom learning and direct experience on major transmission schemes, helping to build a pipeline of engineers and technicians equipped for the demands of the energy transition. Industry and government figures say this approach is creating one of the most significant career opportunities of the coming decades for people across the Highlands and Islands.
