SSEN Transmission said an additional £9.4 billion of investment could take total spending over the five years of its plan to £31.7 billion.
That includes £16 billion for “strategic investments” already approved by Ofgem as part of work to improve the UK’s transmission network. And if the additional spending goes ahead, it said investment of £31.7 billion would help support up to 37,000 jobs across the UK, including 17,500 in Scotland and 8,400 in the north of Scotland.
He added: “In what is one of the largest investment programmes of all time in Scotland, this plan will also support tens of thousands of jobs across the country, turbo-charging the economy and delivering a transformational and lasting legacy for communities, the economy and nature.”