SSE has today launched a new community benefit fund which has the potential to deliver £50m in support for Highland community projects over the next three decades.
The SSE Sustainable Development Fund, worth £1million in its first round, is now open for applications from community groups and charities across the Highland region and will support projects which promote skills development and job creation, community energy or improve the built and natural environment. Applications close on 15 February.
Rt. Hon. Lord Jack McConnell, chair of the expert panel who will decide on grant awards, marked the opening of the fund at an event in Bonar Bridge, Sutherland, calling it “a golden opportunity to support transformational community projects across the Highlands".
The creation of the fund follows a change last year to SSE’s policy of providing community benefit from its onshore wind farm developments, where it increased the level of funding to £5,000 per megawatt per year for all new projects. A typical onshore wind turbine has a capacity of 2.5MW, which equates to £12,500 in community benefit per turbine, per year.
The funding is shared between:
- £2,500 per megawatt per year provided to community groups within the immediate vicinity of the wind farm
- £2,500 per megawatt per year provided to community groups within the local authority region of the wind farm through the Sustainable Development Fund
An independent panel will decide on awards from the Sustainable Development Fund, and the following three priority areas have been developed through consultation with local stakeholders:
- Increase job opportunities and employment – through activities focused on increasing an individual’s chances of entering employment and/or progressing further in employment through apprenticeship schemes, training programmes or similar.
- Enable communities to develop renewable energy schemes – which are of benefit to the local community and could generate social, environmental or economic benefit.
- Enhance Scotland’s natural and built environment – for the benefit of local people and the attraction of visitors; activities that retain, enhance or build upon natural and/or local heritage.
The fund will be available to non-profit making organisations, community groups and charities based within the Highland Council boundary, with extra weighting given to the areas where SSE is developing renewable energy projects, such as the Great Glen, North and Central Sutherland and Mid Ross. Applications will be accepted from £10,000 up to a maximum of the fund’s total value.
To help communities understand how they can access the fund in future, up to £50,000 of the first £1m round of funding has been allocated to an ‘enabling’ fund to support feasibility work for projects in their preliminary stage, or for work to identify potential new initiatives.
Based on SSE’s current plans for wind farm development, the Highland fund has the potential to support £50m in funding over the next 30 years. It will open for applications on a regular basis. To find out more about the fund, or to download an expression of interest form, visit - www.sse.com/sustainablefund
Lord McConnell, Chair of the Sustainable Development Fund panel said: “I am delighted to chair the Sustainable Development Fund panel and work alongside experts from across community development, environmental sustainability and skills development.
“The fund provides a golden opportunity to support transformational community projects across the Highlands and I am determined that the money is spent appropriately and makes a significant and substantial difference to the people in the area".
He added: “With £1million available in the first funding round – and potentially tens of millions over the coming decades – I’m excited about the benefits the fund could bring to the Highlands and its communities.
“I hope we will now see high quality applications with strong local support.”
Alan Young, Managing Director Corporate Affairs at SSE, said: “SSE has a strong heritage in the Highlands and we recognise our role as a responsible developer and good neighbour to the communities that host our renewable developments.
“As with any major benefactor, we have a duty of care to ensure that the funds generated by our wind farms are spent appropriately and leave long-lasting benefits to the area".
He added: “The introduction of the Sustainable Development Fund builds on the good work of the local fund panels and means financial support can be directed to broader initiatives, in scale, impact and in the long-term value they will deliver.
“I’m excited about what the fund can achieve and I’m looking forward to working with the Highland community to drive forward projects that will deliver real social, economic and environmental benefit.”