5,000 Construction Jobs To Be Created Through Scottish Carbon Projects

Recent research has found that over 5,000 construction and other jobs could be created through the construction and operation of three Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects.

A comprehensive study by Scottish Enterprise has considered the economic potential of the proposed developments at Hunterston, Longannet and Peterhead.

New CCS facilities to create construction jobs

If the proposed facilities are fully developed, they will demonstrate and test the commercial and technical aspects of CCS technology to allow CCS to be used in new and existing fossil fuel power stations.

The study by Scottish Enterprise found that over 5,000 jobs would be created. Up to 4,600 construction jobs would be created during the building stage (to 2020) with a further 454 indirect jobs during the operational lifetime of the CCS facilities.

£2.75 billion added to the Scottish economy through construction

The report also found that up to £2.75 billion of Gross Valued Added (GVA) could be added to the Scottish economy during the construction of the facilities.

Separate research has estimated that that CCS could support up to 13,000 new jobs by 2025, and this would include exporting Scottish expertise in technology and skills around the world.

Plans for new power station to create engineering jobs

As well as the CCS facilities, Ayrshire Power plans to build a multi-fuel power station at Hunterston.

The power station could provide power for up to three million homes and the company believes that over 100 engineering jobs would be created in Renfrew. Ayrshire Power also estimated that there will be 1,600 new construction jobs during the building of the plant and 160 positions once the power station is operational.