A cable laying project in the Highlands announced last month by Sumitomo Electric Industries of Japan will involve a £200m investment and create 150 jobs.

Energy Secretary Neil Gray, who discussed the investment with senior company executives in Osaka last month, welcomed details of the project which is likely to be located in Nigg.

The investment is part of an overall package of £17.7 billion of investments pledged by Japanese companies into the UK and unveiled today by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Tokyo.

Sumitomo Corporation intends to expand its UK offshore wind projects, leading to a total investment of £4 billion in projects off the coasts of Suffolk and Norfolk alongside its partners.

Mr Gray said: “Sumitomo’s proposed investment in Scotland can promote rapid expansion of the renewables industry by connecting hundreds of offshore wind turbines.

“I met senior company executives in Osaka last month to discuss this investment and we are working closely with our enterprise agencies and other partners to support and ensure it delivers maximum benefit for Scotland.

“These will be highly skilled green jobs from a business with a strong record in producing high-voltage underground cables. The cables and the wind turbines they connect can help reduce emissions as part of the fastest possible just transition for our oil and gas workforce.

“Our world leading Scotwind leasing round will play a key part in helping create thousands of renewables jobs and we strongly welcome commitments made by the successful developers to invest more than £28 billion.

“Scotland has the skills, talent and natural resources with which to become a global renewables powerhouse. Through our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, we aim to take advantage of the enormous opportunities offered by becoming a net zero economy by 2045.”