SSE redundancies the 'cliff edge' energy sector has warned about
Delays to projects like an offshore wind farm off the Fife coast are exposing a 'cliff-edge' in the country's energy industry as 150 SSE Renewables workers face losing their jobs.
The Perth-based energy giant confirmed it has entered redundancy consultations with staff.
And The Courier understands up to 150 jobs in renewables could be at risk, out of a total 300 thought to be under threat.
Among the jobs reportedly at risk are critical support staff for control rooms and those working in maintenance.
Meanwhile, Berwick Bank — a multi-billion pound off shore wind project planned off the Fife coast — has been in 'limbo' now for more than two years.
Because of these delays, they missed out on the opportunity to take part in last year's government funding round in the contracts for difference as a result. Energy industry 'cliff edge'
One industry expert warned the 'cliff edge' facing the sector is now 'appearing before our eyes'.
True North advocates for the energy and off shore industries and is based in Aberdeen.
Managing partner Fergus Mutch told The Courier there is a bottleneck in the supply chain, which is not helped by continued delays to projects like Berwick Bank.
Berwick Bank has the potential to deliver up to 4.1 gigawatts capacity — enough to power up to six million homes. A graphic detailing where the Berwick Bank wind farm is planned.
It would be four times the size of the UK's current biggest offshore energy site Seagreen, located 30km off the coast of Arbroath.
Fergus said: 'Broadly speaking, the energy sector is in a challenging place, with both energy security and confidence.
'There's a bottleneck in the supply chain, especially in renewables.
'The cliff edge which the industry has been warning about is happening before our eyes.
'It is now 30 months since Berwick Bank plans were given to the Scottish Government, and we should not have projects of that scale sitting on a civil servant's desk for that length of time.
'And I've spoken with three or four supply chain companies who have just been in a holding pattern with the Berwick Bank development.' Unions try to halt compulsory redundancies
Trade union Unison said it is in talks with SSE to avoid compulsory redundancies.
Regional organiser John Mooney said: 'SSE made £2.5 billion in profits last year, in large part because of the hard-working staff.
'Unison is asking SSE managers how we got into the situation where redundancies are required.
'We will do everything we can to support staff and their families in this very stressful time.
'We are working with managers to try and prevent compulsory redundancies and ensure that remaining staff do not receive increased workloads as a result of these cuts.'
A spokesperson for SSE said: 'After a period of sustained growth, we're undertaking an efficiency review to ensure we continue to operate in the most efficient and effective way possible into the future.
'We have informed colleagues that this will unfortunately lead to reduced headcount in some parts of our business.
'We understand this process will be difficult for our teams, and we'll be consulting trade unions and keeping colleagues informed throughout.'
The Scottish Government told The Courier previously it could not comment on a live application and that 'more complex applications may take longer.'
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