Our Eastern Green Link 2 Peterhead Local Fund

What is the Eastern Green Link 2 Peterhead Local Fund?

Eastern Green Link 2 is a jointly developed project by SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission. The project will reinforce Britain’s electricity network with a 2-gigawatt high voltage direct current (HVDC) electrical ‘superhighway’ cable link between Peterhead in Aberdeenshire and Drax in North Yorkshire, most of which will run in the North Sea. Eastern Green Link 2 is expected to be fully operational by 2029.

This Community Benefit Fund, associated with the project cable landing site in Scotland, is aimed specifically at communities who are situated close to the infrastructure in Peterhead and the surrounding area. It has been designed in partnership with the relevant Community Councils and key representatives of the local community.

The Fund has been separated into two parts – a Large Project Fund and a Micro-grant Fund.

Who can apply?

The Eastern Green Link 2 Peterhead Local Fund can support projects that are based in the following Community Council areas:

Peterhead
Boddam
Cruden
Buchan East
Longside & District

What is the fund value?

The fund has a total lifetime value of £2,159,444, which will be delivered over a period 5 years across both the large project fund and micro-grant fund.

Large Project Fund

What are the aims of the fund?

The Large Project Fund will be used to support strategic development across Peterhead and the surrounding area. It will be used to invest in projects that fall within the following themes:

Education, employment and skills
Protection and enhancement of the natural environment (including land and sea, natural habitats, and biodiversity)
Transport and connectivity (including path / cycle networks and community transport)
Community infrastructure and regeneration
Heritage and culture
Community action planning and capacity building

You don’t need to be a registered charity to apply, but your organisation must have a constitution (governing document or set of rules) and not be set up for individual profit. If you are unsure if your group is eligible, please contact us for advice using the email address at the bottom of this page.

What is the application process?

Any organisations interested in applying for the Large Project Fund should initially complete an expression of interest form. This is a very simple form, where you will be asked to provide:

Details of your organisation
Details of the project (the project value; what the project will be delivering and how; how the project will be monitored and evaluated; and how many people will benefit)
An explanation of how you have identified a need for this project within the local area

These forms will be reviewed by an independent decision-making panel, and the projects which most closely align with the fund themes and strategic aims of the local area will be invited to complete a full application.

What is the fund value and timescales?

The Large Project Fund has a total lifetime value of £2,051,469, which will be made available over a period of 5 years. A total of £410,294 will be available in each funding round.

Projects can apply from a minimum of £10,000 up to a maximum of the total amount available. However, in the case where a project applies for the full amount, the application will need to demonstrate significant strategic benefit and evidence of impact for the local area.

Expressions of Interest: The expressions of interest form will be available on this website from Tuesday 15 April 2025. All expressions of interest must be submitted by 12pm (midday) on Thursday 12 June 2025.

Applications: Following review by the panel, all projects invited to apply will be given a 10-week period to submit a full application.

Awards made: November 2025

How are funding decisions made?

The decisions on who should receive funding are made by an independent panel made up of community representatives from across the beneficiary area.

We are currently in the process of recruiting community members for this panel, so if you are interested in participating, then please get in touch with us on the contact details below.

Micro-grant Fund

The Micro-grant Fund is available to individuals and local groups who need small amounts of money to pursue their objectives. The process for applying for and receiving a micro-grant has been designed to be relatively quick and light touch.

This part of the fund is managed independently by each of the Community Councils within the area listed above. Community Councils are provided with £4,319 per year, which they can use to fund any projects that bring value to their local community. The amount of funding available varies depending on the Community Council, up to a maximum value of £500 per project. There is no closing date for the micro-grant fund, which means that you can apply at any time.

If you are interested in applying for a micro-grant, then please contact the relevant Community Council directly for more information.

- Large Project Fund: Projects are able to apply up to the maximum amount available in each round, which is £410,294.
- Micro-grant Fund: The total amount available varies depending on the Community Council, up to a maximum of £500 per project.
- Large Project Fund: To be eligible for this fund, organisations must have a constitution and not be set up for individual profit. Expressions of interest will only be considered if they align with the fund themes and are of benefit to the local area.
- Micro-grant Fund: Applications can be accepted from groups – including those who don’t have a written constitution or set of rules – and individuals. Applications must be of benefit to the local community. For further information, please contact your Community Council directly.
For both funds, applications will not be considered if they fall under the following categories:
- The advancement of religion or politics (including requests to support the core activities of religious or political groups)
- Direct costs of energy consumption
- The repayment of loans or payment of debts
- Trips abroad
- Costs already incurred or activities which will take place before the funding decision has been made (retrospective funding)
- Payments towards areas generally understood to be the primary responsibility of statutory authorities
- Anti-electrical infrastructure/renewable energy activities, including activities contrary to the interests of SSE and its subsidiaries
- Large Project Fund: The decisions on which project will progress to application stage, and which projects will receive funding, are made by an independent panel made up of community representatives from across the beneficiary area.
- Micro-grant Fund: These decisions are made by the Community Council. You can contact your relevant Community Council for more information on this process.
- Large Project Fund: All organisations who submitted an expression of interest will be contacted in July 2025, to advise whether they have been invited by the Panel to submit an application. All applicants will be contacted with information about the application outcome in November 2025. A list of all successful applications will then be published on this website.
- Micro-grant Fund: Groups or individuals will be contacted directly by Community Councils regarding the outcome of an application. A full list of all micro-grant funded project will be published on this website annually.
- Large Project Fund: Organisations will need to initially complete an expression of interest form. This form will ask for some basic information about the organisation, as well as details of the project you are looking to fund, how it fits with the fund themes and why you have identified a need for this project. If you are invited to submit a full application, further guidance will be made available to you.
- Micro-grant Fund: The application process may differ depending on your Community Council area. Please contact your relevant Community Council for further information.

Who should I contact for more information?

Laura Read-Norrie

Community Investment Manager

Email: community.benefit@sse.com
Address: 200 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 3GH

Craig Mullen

Community Investment Manager

Email: community.benefit@sse.com
Address: 200 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 3GH