UK electricity grid investment: National Grid, SSE, and ScottishPower pledge transformative upgrades, 100,000 jobs, and a clean energy future

UK electricity grid investment: Energy giants National Grid, SSE, and ScottishPower have unveiled plans to invest £77bn over five years to transform Great Britain’s electricity grid, driving the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.

The spending proposals, submitted to regulator Ofgem for the 2026-2031 period, are projected to double the nation’s energy transport capacity and support the electrification of industries, creating around 100,000 jobs in the process.

National Grid has proposed the largest share of the investment, with plans to spend £35bn. This includes over £11bn earmarked for maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure, and £24bn for expanding capacity and supporting future projects aimed at meeting the UK’s 2030 clean energy targets. Chief Executive John Pettigrew described the programme as “the most significant step forward in the electricity network that we’ve seen in a generation.”

SSE, which oversees power cables in northern Scotland, plans to invest £31.7bn. This includes £22.3bn for previously approved strategic projects, such as connecting offshore wind farms to the grid. The company’s plans could support 37,000 jobs nationwide and accelerate the integration of renewable energy.

ScottishPower, responsible for electricity transmission in central and southern Scotland, has outlined a £10.6bn plan. This will involve constructing 12 new substations, upgrading 450km of circuits, and installing 35km of underground cables. ScottishPower estimates these upgrades could reduce costs to consumers by up to £167 annually by 2030 through greater grid efficiency.

However, the proposals still require approval from Ofgem, which must balance the necessity of massive infrastructure investments against the risk of burdening consumers with higher energy bills.

ScottishPower’s CEO noted that the grid improvements would enable up to 19GW of green energy projects to connect to the grid—enough to power nearly 20 million homes—while bolstering the resilience of the transmission system.

As the UK pushes towards its net-zero targets, these investments represent a significant commitment to retooling its energy infrastructure for a sustainable future.