SSEN Transmission has welcomed Deputy First Minister and MSP for Perthshire North, John Swinney, to officially open their new premises in Perth.

As the electricity transmission owner for the north of Scotland, SSEN Transmission is playing a critical role in the transition to a low carbon future by developing, building, maintaining and operating a network for net zero, and the new office space accommodates the expanding team at their headquarters in Perth.

The new office space has been refurbished from an area previously occupied by Ovo Energy in SSE's Grampian House building, providing ample space for almost 500 team members, almost double the size of their previous office.

SSEN Transmission is a rapidly growing organization, tripling their headcount in the past three years with exciting future growth plans ahead. Earlier this year the firm announced 400 new jobs are expected to be created by the end of April 2023 across Scotland, with around 150 of these new roles expected to be based in the head office in Perth. 

Today the new office was officially opened by Deputy First Minister for Scotland and MSP for Perthshire North John Swinney, who was welcomed by SSEN Transmission Managing Director Rob McDonald for a tour of the new space. To commemorate the new opening, Mr Swinney revealed a plaque affixed to an 8ft tall replica steel transmission tower, which sits proudly in the main entrance of the new office space.

The new office includes various dedicated meeting rooms and collaboration areas, designed to encourage staff to get together in person to collaborate, innovate and communicate.

The opening of the new office space also coincides with the new-look launch of SSEN Transmission's new website, which has been redesigned to provide a much-improved digital experience featuring interactive network maps and accessible content. 

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The firm has been headquartered in Perth since 1991, and the new office expansion underlines SSEN Transmission's commitment to the city. 

Further expansion is also expected in Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen, with plans to also increase operational buildings in Inverness and Aberdeen.  Plans were also submitted earlier this year for a £17M new operations warehouse in Claverhouse in Dundee, which will provide state of the art facilities to help with the drive towards delivering a network for net zero.   The site will sit across eight acres and have a storage capacity of around 7,500sqm.

Deputy First Minister of Scotland and MSP for Perthshire North John Swinney said:

"I was delighted to officially open SSEN Transmission's new premises.

"SSEN Transmission has a long association with Perth, and the opening of this new facility underscores their continued commitment to the city.

"I am particularly pleased that approximately 150 new jobs will be created at their Perth site. This will be a significant and welcome boost to the local economy – particularly at a time when households across Perthshire are facing such challenging economic conditions."

SSEN Transmission Managing Director Rob McDonald said:

"We are excited to announce the official opening of our new Perth office, and it's been great to welcome Deputy First Minister John Swinney to officially mark the occasion. This is a big step for the company as we move into such a large space in the city we've long called home since 1991, and we are optimistic about the new opportunities it brings in terms of recruitment and new ways of working together.

"With around 150 of our 400 new jobs this year expected to be based in our new office space here in Perth, we're looking forward to an exciting future ahead as we continue to expand across the north of Scotland.

"As a team we are clear and passionate about our purpose – to deliver a network for net zero - and we work hard to ensure that we do this with a constant eye on taking all of our stakeholders with us on this journey – our customers, our shareholders, our communities and, of course, our employees.  With the recent launch of our new Perth head office, our new website as well as looking ahead to future growth in places such as Inverness, Aberdeen and Dundee, it's a really exciting time to be a part of our team."

SSEN Transmission is currently working on major projects to help expand the transmission network across the north of Scotland, including reinforcing the East Coast transmission network as well as creating the first HVDC subsea link to Shetland, which will connect the islands to the UK mainland for the first time, creating a more reliable energy network and unlocking the islands renewables potential.  A strong pipeline of future projects is rapidly advancing, including proposals to upgrade the transmission network in Argyll from 132kv to 275kV, the construction of a new Fort Augustus to Skye transmission link, and development of the East Coast subsea super-highway subsea link between Peterhead and Drax in South Yorkshire.