Energy infrastructure contractor M Group has secured a £110 million contract to refurbish more than 70 kilometres of overhead electricity transmission line in Scotland, as part of a wider programme to strengthen the country’s power network.
SP Energy Networks said M Group will fully upgrade the 400kV Strathaven to Smeaton route, which runs from South Lanarkshire to East Lothian and forms one of the main electricity corridors between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The existing line was built during the 1960s and will undergo a complete refurbishment. The project will involve replacing its key components and installing almost one million metres of high-capacity conductor designed to support rising electricity demand.
The contract forms part of SP Energy Networks’ £5.4 billion transmission framework. Under the framework, 19 companies have been selected as preferred partners to support a wider £12 billion programme of investment in electricity transmission infrastructure.
Seventeen of the selected contractors are headquartered in the UK or Ireland. The framework has an initial five-year term, with an option to extend it to 10 years.
SP Energy Networks said the agreement includes up to £3 billion of spending on new overhead transmission lines and £2.4 billion on new and upgraded substations. The work will cover design, engineering, construction and electrical services.
The company said its wider investment programme with parent company ScottishPower is expected to create about 1,000 new jobs and support tens of thousands of additional positions through the supply chain.
Guy Jefferson, transmission managing director at SP Energy Networks, said the contract demonstrated the economic activity being generated by the company’s investment in Scotland’s electricity infrastructure.
He said the company was focused on expanding opportunities for suppliers across the UK while modernising the transmission network and creating skilled employment.
David Maddocks, managing director for overhead lines at M Group, said the project would replace equipment installed more than six decades ago while introducing high-capacity technology designed to meet future electricity requirements.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said upgrading the electricity grid was essential to providing secure and reliable power to homes and businesses while supporting the transition to cleaner energy.
ScottishPower has committed to investing £24 billion in the UK through 2028. Its Spanish parent company, Iberdrola, announced the investment programme in 2024 as part of efforts to upgrade the country’s energy infrastructure.
The latest contract follows ScottishPower’s announcement of £102.9 million in agreements for companies supporting the operation and maintenance of 24 onshore wind farms for five years.
SP Energy Networks operates more than 4,500 kilometres of overhead lines, 600 kilometres of underground cables and more than 150 substations across central and southern Scotland. The company is also developing new subsea electricity connections as demand for transmission capacity increases.
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