SSEN Transmission and Balfour Beatty have marked an early milestone in the delivery of the Netherton Hub, with the opening of a new shared office space in Peterhead where staff working on the clean energy project will be based.
Today (Thursday, December 11), staff from both companies joined local stakeholders to attend the official opening ceremony at Harbour House on Seagate, where the new office occupies the third floor. The event featured a piper and a ribbon-cutting carried out by Sandy Mactaggart, SSEN Transmission’s Director of Offshore Delivery, and Nick Rowan, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s UK Construction Services Regional Scotland business.
With close to 40 workstations, the office had previously lain empty for a long period but has now been fully refurbished by local tradespeople to accommodate its new tenants.
It will now serve as a collaborative space for clean energy projects associated with the Netherton Hub which is located to the west of Peterhead. As a hub for onshore and offshore projects, it will play a key role in transforming the electricity network in the north of Scotland in support of national energy security and clean power targets.
Aberdeenshire Council recently granted planning consent for the project, which will include a 400kV substation, 132kV substation, and HVDC converter stations for the Spittal to Peterhead, Eastern Green Link 3 (EGL3) and Eastern Green Link 5 (EGL5) subsea connection projects.
Darren Main, SSEN Transmission’s Project Director for the Netherton Hub, said:
“We are delighted to join our delivery partners Balfour Beatty to celebrate the opening of our new shared office space here in Peterhead, where staff working on the delivery phase of the project will be based.
“Close collaboration is key to the successful delivery of the Netherton Hub, which will support jobs and provide economic opportunities for local businesses and the wider supply chain, as well as substantial legacy benefits.
“This new office space provides the ideal environment for teams from SSEN Transmission and Balfour Beatty to work closely alongside each another as we deliver this vital clean energy project that is critical to delivering a cleaner, more secure and affordable energy system for future generations.
“It will also strengthen our local presence in Peterhead, enabling closer collaboration with the local community.”
George Young, Director of Operations at Balfour Beatty said:
“Establishing this dedicated base will allow our teams to work seamlessly alongside SSEN Transmission as we progress this nationally significant programme of work.
“Just as importantly, this new office deepens our connection with the local community, allowing us to further engage local supply chain partners and create skilled employment and training opportunities, leaving a positive and lasting legacy for Peterhead and the wider Aberdeenshire area.”