A total of £10.4m in wind-powered community funding from SSE Renewables was presented to 1,066 projects across Ireland, England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Those include 158 projects focused on net zero transition and 111 scholarships.
The funding derives from the SSE Renewables' wind farm community funds from Ireland and Britain as well as funding from the biggest onshore and offshore wind farms on both islands.
Stephen Wheeler, a Managing Director at SSE Renewables said: "SSE Renewables has a long and proud history of sharing the economic value from our renewables assets with communities. Our community funds are crucial in supporting the people and places that host this critical renewable energy infrastructure and given their scale, have the potential to transform the social capital of local places.
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"In the last year we have invested more than £10.4 million in 1,066 community projects. This demonstrates that we deliver on our values, and I am proud that the communities we work with continue to grow their ambition. We work with incredibly resilient communities which continually create opportunities and growth for their local areas. This is highlighted by the varied projects they are adopting to achieve a green future. We are delighted to be working collaboratively with these communities as we strive towards net zero."
Much of this year's funding has notably gone towards supporting a green transition as communities shift their focus to reducing carbon intensity. Over £3m has been donated by SSE Renewables to projects, which support a green future.
Funds provided by SSE Renewables are community led; therefore they are put towards the priorities of the local area. This year a range of projects have taken place such as providing energy efficient measures for households experiencing fuel poverty in the Scottish Highlands to providing training support in emerging retrofit technologies for reskilling workers in Galway.
As well as providing funding the company ahs provided scholarships to 111 young students who live near some of the company’s bigger wind farms such as Galway Wind Park in Ireland and Slieve Kirk Wind Park in Northern Ireland.
In order to meet the growing demands of the programme, SSE Renewables has implemented a new management structure and recruited new employees with community development and grant management experience.
