SSE Energy Solutions has launched a new business hub in Manchester, England, to deliver innovative energy projects, skilled jobs, and training opportunities for local communities.
Greater Manchester is the first of several regional hubs the company plans to launch across the UK with the aim of creating jobs for local talent from diverse backgrounds in areas where SSE is delivering energy infrastructure.
SSE is already working closely with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and its mayor Andy Burnham to help it achieve its target of being a net zero city by 2038.
Critical to that mission is the speedy roll-out of EV charging infrastructure with several sites under consideration for the installation of flagship hubs.
SSE is also developing a ground source heating system for a large public facing venue in Manchester city centre as well as having recently installed a state-of-the-art Buildings Energy Management System at Bridgewater Hall, a major classical music venue and home to the Halle Orchestra.
The system can be operated remotely by the council.
The company has opened a new office in Manchester and is forging close relationships with local organisations and charities to diversify and upskill its workforce.
Two new employees have been recruited as part of its work with the city’s Blair Project and the Manchester Innovations Activity Hub.
SSE is also forging close relationships with the city’s Green Skills Academy, the Growth Company’s centre for green technologies, and a number of higher education bodies through the GM Higher collaborative network.
A “Skills Summit” is planned for later in the year to be hosted at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Fuel Cell Innovation Centre. Students, business leaders and local authority representatives will all be invited to attend.
The regional strategy will see SSE focus on working with local contractors and suppliers where possible and further hubs will be launched soon in West Yorkshire, Liverpool, the West Midlands, and Sunderland.
SSE will spend around £10m a day to deliver the low-carbon infrastructure that the UK needs for its net zero transition and has committed to £18bn in clean energy investments by 2026/27.
As part of its Green Jobs pledge, the company aims to generate an additional 1000 jobs every year until 2025.
Neil Kirkby (pictured) is managing director of enterprise at SSE Energy Solutions. He said: “We have forged a strong relationship with mayor Andy Burnham and his authority in Manchester and we are working closely with his team on their ambitious decarbonisation agenda for the area.
“At SSE, we want to make a difference in each of these areas by ensuring we invest in the communities we work in.
“By creating regional hubs across the country and bringing green jobs to the areas where we are building energy infrastructure, we’re able to demonstrate our commitment to communities right across the UK.”