An employee from ScottishPower subcontractors Overlec repairs an overhead powerline near Cumbernauld.
ScottishPower outlined plans to create 2,500 new jobs as part of a multi-billion-pound investment in its electricity network.
The utility company unveiled long-terms plans to invest £5.2 billion to renew and maintain electricity cables and associated infrastructure which services more than 3.5 million homes in central Scotland, Merseyside and Wales.
The firm said much of the 105,000km of power lines and approximately 30,000 substations it manages are approaching the end of their operational life and need to be replaced.
ScottishPower said its investment plans for 2015 to 2023 which were submitted to the industry regulator Ofgem would see it carry out the largest ever upgrade of its distribution network.
The plans complement a £2.6bn investment being made in the company’s transmission network.
The firm said 2,500 new jobs would be created during the investment period on top of 1,500 new posts associated with the transmission network work.
“We have a unique opportunity to completely modernise our infrastructure and create a blueprint to support growth for generations to come,” ScottishPower Energy Networks chief executive Frank Mitchell said.
