SSE’s proposed Coire Glas pumped storage hydro project in the Highlands could create around 1,180 construction jobs in Scotland, an independent economic study by BiGGAR Economics has found. The £3 billion scheme, planned at Loch Lochy between Fort William and Inverness, would be the first of its kind built in the UK in more than four decades.
Across the UK, the study estimates the project would support around 2,880 jobs at its peak. That would mean around £1.94 billion spent with UK businesses and £1.5 billion in economic value for the UK.
What the study found for Scotland and the Highlands
In Scotland alone, the research puts expenditure with Scottish firms at £1.35 billion and the economic value generated at £656 million. The Highlands would account for 460 of the jobs, with £635 million spent on businesses in the region.
Once the scheme is running, BiGGAR Economics says Coire Glas could support 60 long-term UK jobs a year across its operating life. That would generate about £7 million in economic value for the UK each year.
What SSE says
Stephen Wheeler, managing director of SSE Renewables, said Coire Glas “has the potential to be one of the most important infrastructure projects built in the UK in a generation”. He said the study showed the potential to support almost 3,000 construction jobs at peak and to create opportunities for Scottish and British businesses throughout the supply chain.
Wheeler said that unlocking those benefits “now depends on securing an investable outcome” through Ofgem’s Long Duration Electricity Storage framework, and that a number of detailed arrangements need to be resolved before a project of this scale and complexity can progress.
If that happens, he said, Coire Glas “could deliver decades of benefits for workers, consumers, communities and the wider economy”.
Where the project stands
SSE has invested more than £100 million in developing Coire Glas, including site investigations and a 1.2km exploratory tunnel to inform the final design. In June 2026, Ofgem placed Coire Glas on its minded-to-decision list of 16 long duration storage projects for cap and floor investment support. SSE says it is continuing to engage with Ofgem’s process.
