A report shows that Statkraft’s Loch na Cathrach pumped storage hydro (PSH) scheme could provide hundreds of local jobs for years to come.
The document was independently produced, commissioned by the University of the Highlands and Islands and funded by Statkraft to inform education and skills planning in the Highlands to support the Loch na Cathrach project. The report found that the development could require as many as 500 jobs to be created during the peak of the construction period.
The Loch na Cathrach scheme is a 450MW long duration energy storage project located around 14km west of Inverness, Scotland. Statkraft purchased the consented project from Intelligent Land Investments Group in December 2023, and the development is currently in the pre-construction phase. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with the scheme expected to be fully operational in 2030.
The report notes that a significant amount of training and upskilling of local workers will be required, as around 60% of the roles on site will be either skilled or semi-skilled jobs in areas such as civil engineering or tunnel engineering. Additionally, a minimum of 120 people will be required for non-construction roles such as health and safety, accountancy, and other managed and engineering support roles.
Statkraft notes that the need to develop “a ready supply of more local skilled labour” is not just key to construction of the facility, but also to ensuring there is an adequate number of local staff to operate and maintain the facility once it has been commissioned.
According to the report, competition for energy-related jobs in the Highlands is rising. The number of energy-related businesses in the area fell from 180 in 2019 to 155 in 2023, while the number of employees in the sector rose from 1,285 in 2017 to 1,595 in 2022. Meanwhile, Scottish enrolments in further education courses with relevance to the Loch na Cathrach project have risen since 2019, from 87,355 in 2019-2020 to 90,425 in 2021-2022. Of these, between 3.5 and 3.6% of enrolments were in institutions in the Highlands area.
Iain Robertson, Statkraft’s head of Scotland said: “Loch na Cathrach can help support a generation of skilled workers in the Highlands, as well as having a transformational impact on our energy security. This timely report confirms the opportunities it brings but also sets out the challenges in upskilling the workforce so we can ensure it delivers the maximum employment benefits in the local area.”