Energy industry leaders including the team behind UK’s biggest every electricity transmission project will meet at a Scotsman summit to plan for the workforce of the future.

Prominent figures from the energy and net zero sectors including politicians, business leaders and academics will gather in Aberdeen later this year to consider energy transition and skills.

The annual Scotsman Green Skills conference is back with a twist and marks the launch of a Green Series starting in the north east on November 13. Now, the broader series will also go on to explore other key sectors including construction, transport and agriculture and land use.

It can be revealed that SSEN Transmission is the headline sponsor for the 2024 event, with multinational power firm Vattenfall also attached.

Supported by Energy Skills Partnership, this year’s November conference will focus on topics including supply and demand, the next generation of green skills, links between education and industry, reskilling and upskilling and retaining a workforce.

Serimax has already been confirmed as an exhibitor this year.

The annual Scotsman Green Skills conference is returning this year with a twist, launching a Green Series starting in Aberdeen on the 13th of November to discuss energy transition and skills. | Scotsman

Ricky Saez, SSEN Transmission’s Project Director for EGL2, said: “We are thrilled to be the headline sponsor of the Scotsman Green Series.

“At SSEN Transmission, our £20bn ‘Pathway to 2030’ investment programme in grid infrastructure will support 20,000 green jobs in the UK supply chain, around 9,000 of which will be in Scotland.

“Partnerships like this one give us a great platform to discuss the scale of that opportunity, sharing valuable insight on the types of skills that are required to deliver projects like the Eastern Green Link 2, a joint venture between SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission, which will be the single biggest electricity transmission project that the UK has ever seen when it is completed.”

Earlier this year, the approval of the new £3.4 billion electricity superhighway transmitting renewable North Sea energy to England was dubbed an “important step in laying the foundations for the UK to become a global leader in renewable energy” by James Alexander, chief executive of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association.

Energy regulator Ofgem has now approved the Eastern Green Link 2 project, a joint venture between SSEN and the National Grid, that will transport energy generated by wind farms in the North Sea from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Drax in North Yorkshire.

Saez added: “As we work to deliver projects like this, and the others that make up our investment programme, we are excited to be using this opportunity to engage with more people on green skills and the energy transition.”

Looking ahead to the Green Skills conference in November, Matt Bacon, Senior Project Manager at Vattenfall, said: “With our commitment to maximising local content across our project portfolio in Scotland, skills and training have become key focus areas for Vattenfall.

“We are working closely with organisations like the Science Skills Academy, Techfest and DYW as we firmly believe that industry partnerships are integral to developing the workforce of the future.”

Tickets for the annual Scotsman Green Skills conference are now on sale: www.scotsmangreenskills.co.uk

Why energy industry leaders want to work together to grow the green workforce of the future