New pumped storage hydropower scheme will provide significant employment opportunities in the Highlands
- Monday, February 10, 2025
A report prepared by our Scottish-based team found that the Loch na Cathrach pumped storage hydropower project on Loch Ness will create 500 construction jobs and 126 administrative jobs, as well as develop a skilled workforce in the Highlands during the construction and operation of the plant.
The research, commissioned by the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), focused on the workforce and skills required to build the plant and highlighted the challenges and opportunities for the developer, Statkraft, and the renewables industry as a whole, as an increasing number of projects in the Highlands and Scotland enter construction over the next decade.
The job numbers are significant and high quality, in a region that has a lower-than-average median wage and employment rate. Statkraft’s own projections point to 60% of those construction roles as either skilled or semi-skilled, including in civil engineering and tunnel engineering. Additionally, there will be over 120 people employed in non-construction positions like health and safety, accountancy, and other management and support roles.
Loch na Cathrach can help support a generation of skilled workers in the Highlands.
However, to maximise these employment and training benefits for the local population, a number of challenges need to be overcome.
The report notes that Loch na Cathrach is just one of a number of similar projects proposed in the area, that may enter construction over the next few years and that there is a risk of demand for skills outstripping current levels of supply. It suggests training providers, such as UHI, should consider the profile of skills needed so that they can create or adjust their courses accordingly, noting that there have been no large-scale hydro schemes developed in the area in decades. It also calls for developers like Statkraft to work with industry competitors in ‘co-opetition’ – collaborating in order to develop the pool of available labour and skills, for the mutual benefit of a range of projects.
The approved project provides a vital step towards a sustainable energy future by providing a clean energy source that will reduce carbon emissions and support the UK’s net zero goals.
By harnessing the waters of Loch Ness to store and generate electricity, the plant will help to balance supply and demand - which is crucial as the country transitions to more renewable energy sources like wind and solar, which can be intermittent - and enhance grid reliability and stability by storing excess energy when production is high and releasing it when demand peaks.
Large-scale schemes like Loch na Cathrach have a significant impact on clean energy targets, but if its opportunities are harnessed correctly, it can have a much wider impact. Local employment opportunities mean people can stay in the local area, leading to investment in housing, transport, and amenities, and a much wider legacy left by renewable projects beyond clean energy.
You can read the full report here.
Pictured (above): Scott Gilbert, Loch na Cathrach project director, and UHI's Shona Clyne