First round of recipients for Regional Community Benefit Fund announced
We are pleased to announce the first round of recipients of our Regional Community Benefit Fund. We received a large volume of applications to this funding round, demonstrating local people's passion and drive to transform their communities.
Our Community Benefit Funds
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Regional Fund
Reopening in Summer 2025
Our Regional Fund aims to bring positive benefits and a long-lasting legacy to communities across the north of Scotland. This fund has now closed for 2024, with successful applications being announced early in 2025. The fund will reopen in 2025.
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Local Funds
Reopening in Spring 2025
Our local funds are dedicated to communities situated close to our infrastructure. You can now find out more about our anticipated local funds on our dedicated webpage.
Director of Customers and Stakeholders, Christianna Logan, said:
"We are immensely proud to provide substantial funding through our regional and local Community Benefit Funds, paving the way for a more prosperous future in the communities we serve. This initiative is about far more than just financial support; it's about creating a lasting legacy that resonates for generations. By investing in projects that enrich lives, foster innovation, and strengthen community bonds, we are committed to generating real, sustainable value. Our goal is to empower communities to not only meet today’s challenges but to thrive well into the future, ensuring that the benefits of this funding are felt for many years to come."
Welcome to the SSEN Transmission Community Benefit Fund
Our network in the north of Scotland will play a leading role in the clean energy transition, connecting and transporting renewable electricity from wind, hydro and marine generation. Our Community Benefit Fund will allow a share of the benefits to go directly to those communities hosting this new infrastructure. We are excited to introduce our new Community Benefit Fund, designed to bring substantial benefits and a positive, lasting legacy through local and regional initiatives across the north of Scotland.
Background and Purpose
Following a UK Government announcement in November 2023 regarding community benefits from transmission infrastructure, SSEN Transmission anticipates the value of future community funds from our current investment plans to be in excess of £100m. This initiative is subject to the finalised Government guidance and approval from Ofgem, and will apply to all new transmission infrastructure projects in Great Britain.
Fund Structure
Regional Projects
If your project benefits communities located within the SSEN Transmission network area, you may be eligible to apply for our Regional Fund. Our network area covers the same parts of Scotland as our sister-business, SSEN Distribution. You can provide your post code on the Energy Networks Association website to check which network area you reside in.
This is a strategic fund, supporting projects with a significant and transformational impact. The fund is now closed for 2024 and will reopen in Summer 2025.
Local Projects
Our local funds are dedicated to communities situated close to our infrastructure. The focus of these funds will be developed through discussions with communities, ensuring that local priorities are supported. You can find out more about each of our local funds here.
How the Community Benefit Fund is financed
UK Government guidance on community benefit funding for transmission infrastructure is expected soon. In the meantime, community funds must be requested on a project-by-project basis to Ofgem. They will consider the case for funding by balancing the local impact of the project against the cumulative impact on consumer bills. Funding is not retrospective and must be requested in advance as part of Ofgem’s project assessment process.
SSEN Transmission has already committed to deliver an initial £10m of community benefit funding. A large part of the initial £10m comes from the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) project and the remainder is paid directly by SSEN Transmission. Ofgem approved funding for EGL2 community benefits with a regional and local approach so that positive outcomes are realised across the region.
Independent Panel to ensure good governance and accountability
Each of the Community Benefit funds will have its own independent panel who make decisions on who should receive funding.
The Regional Panel is chaired by Peter Peacock, former Scottish Government Minister and Convenor of Highland Council. The remaining panel members are Louisa Macdonell (vice chair), Lucy Conway, Nicholas Gubbins and Christianna Logan (SSEN Transmission representative).
For our Local Funds, decisions will be made by independent panels made up of community members who best represent the beneficiary area.
Pictured: Gary Hughes, Economic Development Manager at SSEN Transmission, Peter Peacock, Chair of Regional Community Benefit Fund; Morven Smith, Head of Community Investment at SSE Group.
Our Vision for the Future
Looking ahead, based on SSEN Transmission’s ambitious £20bn ‘Pathway to 2030’ investment programme and initial indications from the UK Government regarding the anticipated scale of Community Benefit funding, we expect the overall value of our Community Benefit Fund to exceed £100m. This significant funding represents a tremendous opportunity to maximise the transformative impact that new electricity transmission developments can have in the region.
Get Involved and Apply
We are eager to work with local and regional organisations to bring these benefits to life. Together, we can create a brighter, more sustainable future for communities in the north of Scotland. Explore our Community Benefit Fund web pages to learn more about our regional and local funds and we look forward to receiving applications for consideration.
For further information and updates, please keep an eye on our website and follow our social media channels. You can also register for our Community Benefit Fund mailing list using the button below:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Community Benefit Fund
Strong support for SSEN Transmission's proposals for a Community Benefit Fund
In July 2023, SSEN Transmission launched a six week consultation to seek views on plans for a community benefit scheme, the first of its kind for a Transmission Owner. Over 135 organisations and individuals gave feedback on our proposal to set up a Community Benefit Fund.
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Power your career at SSEN Transmission
We're on a mission to upgrade the network in the north of Scotland to bring cleaner energy to homes and businesses across the country. With hundreds of jobs available, join us and help power change.
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Explore our projects
You can navigate our electricity transmission network and explore our proposed projects using our interactive project map. Click the icons displayed on our project map and you will be directed to the associated project information page where you can learn more about what we are doing in the local area and why. -
UK government's report on Community Benefits
This document details the UK government’s response to a consultation on community benefits for electricity transmission network infrastructure published in March 2023, and outlines the decisions made and next steps.