Young professionals |
Below: Loch Ness is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands. Statkraft’s 450MW Loch na Cathrach Pumped Storage scheme, is located on a site around 14km south-west of Inverness, and will harness the waters of Loch Ness
It was suggested training providers, such as UHI, should consider the profile of skills needed so they can create or adjust their courses accordingly, noting that there have been no large-scale hydro schemes developed in the area for 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. Large-scale schemes like Loch na Cathrach have a significant impact on clean energy targets, but if its opportunities are harnessed correctly, 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. The consented scheme, which was acquired by Statkraft from Intelligent Land Investments Group in late 2023, is expected to be operational by the end of 2030. 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, as well as having a transformational impact on our energy security,” Iain Robertson, Statkraft’s Head of Scotland said. “This timely report confirms the opportunities it brings but also sets out the challenges in upskilling the workforce so we can ensure it delivers the maximum employment benefits in the local area.
“Statkraft is committed to backing future skills development by utilising its existing partnerships with education institutions like UHI and undertaking outreach work to highlight the opportunities that significant infrastructure projects like Loch na Cathrach can offer. But we can’t do this alone,” Robertson added. “It requires renewable energy developers, education providers, local authorities and governments to work together to realise the opportunities that will enable a just energy transition.” As Scott Gilbert, Statkraft’s Loch na Cathrach
Project Director, commented: “We stand ready to play our part, ensuring the local workforce are informed and can meet the demand for this and other similar projects in the area. If we get this right, we’ll make a significant contribution towards the decarbonisation of the electricity grid by 2030, as well as providing employment opportunities for a generation of skilled clean energy workers. And with a student population of over 30,000, as one of Scotland’s largest providers of apprenticeships, UHI says the study findings will provide key information to enable it to develop its curriculum, and offer options to create and match graduates with industry appropriate skills.
Science Centre Drax is continuing to inspire the next generation
to pursue careers in hydropower, nurturing STEM learning in partnership with the Glasgow Science Centre.
In its inaugural year, their programme engaged with over 1400 primary and secondary school pupils. Fully funded by Drax, the initiative benefits from
16 | June 2025 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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