When you think of the Highlands, it’s easy to picture dramatic landscapes, sweeping skies and untamed beauty. Soon, though, those same hills and glens could also become the backbone of Scotland’s energy future.
Instead of oil rigs in the North Sea, the next great boom may be carried on pylons and cables, with an influx of skilled workers and developers chasing opportunity.
It sounds like the gold rush, but it could well become reality in parts of the Highlands if plans are realised.
Scotland is on the brink of an energy transition the likes of which we haven’t seen since oil was first struck in the North Sea. Only this time, the black gold is green.
To meet net-zero targets and keep the lights on, the Highlands are about to become the epicentre of Britain’s new power grid. National Grid and SSEN want thousands of miles of new overhead transmission lines to shift renewable energy south.
That means an army of specialist workers arriving over the next few years. Highland Council is already planning up to 24,000 new homes to cope. Housebuilder Springfield Properties, smelling opportunity, is in talks to deliver rental stock specifically for energy workers.
With an expected £100 billion worth of projects over the next 25 years, according to Highlands and Islands Enterprise, it’s the classic boomtown story: the money is flowing, the workers are coming, and everyone wants their cut.
Great news on the face of it. Jobs, contracts, housing and cash all surging into a part of the country that too often gets left behind. Local builders will benefit. Shops, cafés and pubs will do a roaring trade. The Highlands could, briefly, feel like The Great Frontier.
However, I must admit, I hope this growth and development is carried out in a way that the local economy remains stable for years to come and there is a positive legacy left behind when construction is complete.
It’s almost impossible to avoid, like we’ve seen in other places like Aberdeen, as rents will soar and locals could find themselves priced out of their own town.
It doesn’t have to be this way, though. Once the pylons are finished, the cables are strung and the engineers pack up their vans, there needs to be a plan in place for who is left holding the keys to all those new rental flats.
This is where government should be earning its keep. The Scottish Government loves talking about the Just Transition – the idea that going green should be fair, inclusive and bring communities along.
But planning policy and housing strategy are lagging. Communities are being told they must accept tenement-sized steel towers across their hills for the greater good. Fair enough – but where’s the fairness if the jobs go to contractors bussed up from the south, the houses are built for short-term lets, and the profits don’t boost the local economy.
The Highlands don’t need another extractive industry where wealth leaves as quickly as it arrives.
They need skills investment so people can get well-paid jobs in the sector. They need housing policies that guarantee affordable homes for locals, not just high-rent blocks for transient workers. They need proper community benefit funds, so when pylons march through a glen, the village beneath them sees more than disruption and convoys.
The lessons are there if anyone cares to look. Aberdeen boomed with oil, then struggled with busts. Wind farms promised community payback, but many villages saw little more than a token cheque. This time, Scotland can’t afford to get it wrong. Because make no mistake, this is a gold rush.
Billions of pounds are about to be poured into concrete, steel and salaries. If Scotland plays it smart, the Highlands could be a showcase for how to do green growth right – with jobs that last, housing that helps and communities that thrive.
If we don’t, it’ll be the same old story: outsiders making a killing, locals squeezed out, and an opportunity squandered.
The pylons are coming, like it or not. The question is whether the power they carry will light up a fairer, more prosperous Scotland – or just juice the profits of those outwith our communities.
Side (252 words)
It feels like a weekly occurrence now, as another household name prepares to disappear from the high street in Scotland.
Bodycare is the latest casualty, collapsing into administration and confirming that all its remaining shops will close. The decision marks the end of a chain that, for decades, was a regular fixture on local high streets.
The scale of the impact is significant. More than 400 redundancies will follow across the UK. Around 150 stores had already been shuttered since administrators were first called in, and in total more than 1,000 jobs have been lost.
Management blamed stock shortages and rising operational costs, citing the familiar but devastating conclusion that “business was no longer viable”.
Bodycare joins an ever-lengthening obituary of recognisable brands falling into administration. The roll call grows longer with every passing month.
We talk endlessly about the importance of the high street, but the reality is stark. Without urgent action, there soon won’t be much of a high street left.
The pressures are relentless. Business rates remain a crushing burden. Consumer habits have shifted online, while inflation and higher energy costs continue to erode already thin margins.
The result? More boarded-up shopfronts, more empty units, and fewer reasons for people to visit their town centres.
Without intervention – whether through targeted government support, fresh ideas from businesses themselves, or renewed loyalty from shoppers – Scotland’s high street faces an uncertain future.
Unless change comes soon, what was once the beating heart of community life risks becoming little more than a memory.
Laugh (107 words)
From Jay-Z to Eminem, the life of a famous rapper is packed with glamorous highs.
However, Reece Muir, a musician from Coatbridge known for his viral YouTube rap videos and better recognised by the stage name Specksy, has traded hip-hop for a tattie shop with the launch of his new baked potato van – Specksy’s Spuds.
Partnering with his dad, the rapper will serve up tattie-focused street food across North Lanarkshire, and he’s even dropped a new track to mark the launch.
It’ll be interesting to see if other Scottish musicians follow suit and swap careers for catering – I think Cod Stewart has a certain ring to it!
Weep (115 words)
Trying to manage and maintain a company that people enjoy working for is a serious business in itself.
Creating a positive work culture encourages productivity, sparks creativity, and fosters healthier practices overall. However, that becomes a challenge when staff are at odds with one another.
A third of Scottish employees say workplace conflict is on the rise, according to a new survey by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).
This kind of behaviour is something business owners need to clamp down on immediately – before the only fallout is damage to their company’s reputation.
Ensuring that your workplace culture is a positive and collaborative experience means everyone can enjoy working together to achieve your goals.
