Latest news : Green energy jobs for Scotland

An agreement between Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will bring new jobs to the green energy sector in Scotland.

The agreement to cooperate on developments in low carbon energy could be good news for graduates, with a possible 1,000 new jobs being created in Scotland over the next five years.

In 2009, SSE established a Centre of Engineering Excellence in Renewable Energy in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, creating over 300 skilled professional jobs over three years. The new agreement with Mitsubishi will build on this, with an additional 100 new, highly-skilled, engineering jobs to be based at the Centre.

The partnership will explore a range of technologies including offshore wind farms, advanced technology for smart electricity grids, low carbon vehicles, and high-efficiency power generation.

The centre is also predicting that employment opportunities will grow further, as other partners and suppliers of services and products related to offshore wind energy development join SSE and Mitsubishi in locating engineering-related jobs at the centre. It is on course to reach around 1,000 jobs over the next five years.
Speaking about the developments, the First Minister, Alex Salmond said, ‘Scotland is taking a lead in the global journey to a low carbon future through our commitment to world-leading greenhouse gas reductions and to harnessing our vast wind and marine power resources and established expertise in engineering and innovation to deliver clean, green energy. 

‘I am very pleased to welcome this exciting new partnership between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, an industrial giant with historic links to Scotland, and Scottish and Southern Energy, the largest generator of renewable electricity in these islands. 

‘I’m also delighted that just nine months after Glasgow was confirmed as the location for the new Centre of Engineering Excellence, SSE expects up to 1,000 people to be employed here within five years, delivering a further boost to the city and to Scotland’s growing low-carbon economy.’