Scottish Power to recruit 1,000 green energy staff

Scottish Power is set to recruit at least 1,000 new employees in the next 12 months after winning a series of contracts to build wind turbines.

The Spanish-owned company said it had taken on a record number of new green energy infrastructure projects.

The energy firm plans to invest £4bn in 16 projects, which include offshore and onshore wind and solar farms.

The new jobs will be spread across Scotland and the UK, including Merseyside.

The company's distribution arm, which runs part of the grid, will also need to invest millions to help transfer power from the offshore turbines to homes across the country.

Earlier this month, a report from the Energy System Operator said about £5bn will be needed to connect 12 Scottish Power projects to the grid.

Scottish Power chief executive officer Keith Anderson said: "The future of energy in the UK has become a critical issue.

"Our climate change ambitions, the importance of energy sovereignty and the cost-of-living crisis all point to a need for speed in delivering more green, more secure and more affordable energy."

He also described the jobs pledge as "our biggest ever call for green recruits".

Alok Sharma, president of COP26, which was held in Glasgow last year, welcomed the commitment.

He said: "Long-term, good quality green jobs are crucial for the UK's economic recovery and tackling climate change.

"This green jobs push will help set the direction for the market as we transition to a high-skill, low-carbon economy."

The announcement came as Scottish Power revealed results for the first half of this year that reflected the cost to the company of applying the domestic customer price cap.

It said they made earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) of £924.6m in the first six months of the year.

The 2.6% increase was in large part thanks to its renewables business, which grew earnings by 27% as the wind blew more.

But the retail side - the part of Scottish Power that households buy energy from - saw its Ebitda collapse by 60% to just £54.3m.

The report said: "The inability to pass on the high energy costs due to the price cap mechanism continues to lead to strain on earnings."