Heading to All-Energy 2026? Here are seven reasons why Caithness and Sutherland should be firmly on your radar.
The UK’s energy transition won’t be delivered by any one region – achieving a clean energy future will require a network of areas each contributing different strengths.
Some areas are already punching well above their weight, and Caithness and Sutherland is one of them.
With over £100 billion of forecast investment across the Highlands and Islands energy pipeline, the north of Scotland has the ball at its feet – and this region sits right at the heart of that opportunity.
1. A unique natural resource base
In Caithness and Sutherland, our best assets are our natural ones. With powerful winds, mighty seas and abundant landscapes, our region sits at the intersection of:
- World-class wind resource – 5GW capacity in offshore wind and onshore wind generating 12x the electricity we need
- Proximity to major offshore developments, including 5 Scotwind sites
- Access to some of Europe’s most energetic tidal waters
The Pentland Firth – often described as one of the most powerful tidal sites in the world – sits on the region’s doorstep, with active and planned marine energy projects already underway.
This is a region that’s already powering the energy transition.
2. The Flow Country: a globally-significant asset
At the heart of Caithness and Sutherland lies something unique, not just in the UK, but globally.
The Flow Country is:
- The largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe
- A UNESCO World Heritage Site
- A carbon store holding around 400 million tonnes of carbon
That’s more than all the UK’s forests combined.
The Flow Country isn’t just an environmental asset, it’s also a platform for restoration investment and a case study in how nature and energy transition can work together.
3. Grid connectivity that unlocks scale
One of the biggest challenges in renewable energy isn’t generation – it’s getting power to where it’s needed. Caithness and Sutherland already has a major advantage here.
The Caithness–Moray HVDC link can transmit up to 1.2GW of electricity south into the UK grid.
And that capacity is continuing to grow. Recent planning approval for the Banniskirk Hub – a major new substation development – will further strengthen the region’s grid infrastructure, helping to unlock additional renewable generation and support future projects coming forward.
This is the kind of enabling infrastructure that ensures projects can move from concept to connection.
4. Ports, land and space to deliver projects
Caithness and Sutherland is already hosting major energy developments, and is ready to scale.
- Wick Harbour provides the O&M base for Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm and is poised to expand its facilities to welcome more offshore wind developments in the decades to come.
- Scrabster Harbour is the north’s leading deepwater port, with more than £50m investment providing world-class facilities
- Wick John O’Groats Airport operates regular flights to Aberdeen, contributing to a region connected by air, rail, sea and road.
- Proximity to offshore wind, tidal and hydrogen opportunities – with shovel-ready land available for onshore infrastructure
In a sector where space, logistics and access are increasingly constrained, Caithness and Sutherland offers room to scale.
5. A workforce built for transition
Ours is a region with in-house expertise: from a highly skilled workforce to a sophisticated local supply chain:
- NRS Dounreay’s legacy is decades of decommissioning knowledge, skills and innovation
- Oil and gas expertise ready to transition into low carbon industries
- Engineering, fabrication and project delivery experience across our supply chain
The skills needed for a just transition are already here, already proven.
6. World-class research and innovation through UHI
Alongside industry, Caithness and Sutherland benefits from internationally-recognised academic research.
The Environmental Research Institute at UHI North, West and Hebrides:
- Leads globally recognised research in peatlands, energy and environmental science
- Has direct access to the Flow Country as a living laboratory
- Supports innovation across marine energy, climate science and sustainable development
This combination of research and real-world application is vital to industry collaborations.
UHI is also advancing a One Health approach – recognising the connection between environmental health, human wellbeing and economic resilience. In a region where energy development, natural capital and communities are closely linked, this joined-up thinking is critical to delivering a truly sustainable transition.
7. A partnership approach that accelerates delivery
Perhaps most importantly, this is not a fragmented landscape. Across Caithness and Sutherland there is:
- Strong collaboration between public and private sector
- Alignment between local and national priorities
- A shared focus on enabling investment and delivery
With over £100 billion of energy investment forecast across the Highlands and Islands, success depends on regions that can coordinate, support and accelerate delivery.
That’s why the Just Transition Commission recently chose to launch their national report in Thurso. They singled out our approach to partnership, praised NRS Dounreay’s planned transition and highlighted Caithness and Sutherland as being ‘crucial’ to achieving UK net zero goals.
Our region is already operating as a connected ecosystem build on decades of collaborations.
The opportunity
The UK’s clean energy future will be built in places that combine:
- Natural resource
- Infrastructure
- Skills
- Space
- and collaboration
Caithness and Sutherland brings all of these together. That’s why it’s not just part of the transition; it’s helping to power it.