This week, engineering and infrastructure company Murphy officially opened their new ASTI Hub North office in William Smith House in Thurso.
Murphy is preparing to help SSEN Transmission to deliver a series of electricity infrastructure projects across the north of Scotland, which are being taken forward under Ofgem’s Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) Framework. Known as the ‘Pathway to 2030’ programme, the business is set to invest around £20bn in new and upgraded infrastructure across the north of Scotland to help reach the country’s energy security and clean power targets.
The new office and jobs are associated with SSEN Transmission’s proposed Spittal – Loch Buidhe – Beauly 400kV overhead line project, and the Banniskirk Hub (400kV substation and HVDC converter station) and Carnaig 400kV substation.
The ASTI Hub North is the team’s newest office and marks a strategic expansion into Caithness, with the Murphy team keen to attract new staff from the area. Designed as a northern base for project teams and support services, with a focus on collaboration, compliance, and consistent standards across our operations, the new office also serves as a focal point for community engagement and stakeholder interaction.
Liam Corr, Energy Managing Director at Murphy, said: “This new hub, alongside ASTI Hub South in Alness, reflects our ongoing investment in people, infrastructure, and local partnerships.
Together, these facilities will form a strategic backbone for project delivery and support us in this first phase of recruitment, with the Thurso Hub itself creating up to 50 new skilled roles in the region alongside the 80 people already employed in Alness; laying the foundation for a significantly expanded workforce as our operations scale up across Caithness”.
Kevin Smith, Programme Director for Onshore at SSEN Transmission, said: “This investment is a perfect illustration of how the country’s transition to a clean power future through upgrading the electricity grid is creating skilled jobs in communities across the north of Scotland. Achieving national energy security through more affordable, low carbon homegrown electricity and building local economic opportunity go hand in hand.
The new employment being created by Murphy in Thurso is about people, skills, and prosperity. It’s about unlocking the economic potential of the Highlands: delivering world-class infrastructure, investing in training, and creating high-quality careers in the north of Scotland that simply wouldn’t exist without the critical investment to upgrade the electricity transmission network.”