SSEN Transmission is responsible for maintaining and investing in the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland and our network extends over a quarter of the UK’s land mass, crossing some of its most challenging terrain.

Our priority is to provide a safe and reliable supply of electricity to our communities. We do this by taking electricity from generators and transporting it at high voltages over long distances through our transmission network for onwards distribution to homes and businesses in villages, towns and cities.

Our operating area is home to vast renewable energy resources, and this is being harnessed by wind, hydro and marine generation. Working closely with National Grid Electricity System Operator, we enable electricity generators to connect to the transmission system, allowing the electricity generated by them to be transported to areas of demand across the country.

We are owned 75% by SSE plc and 25% by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board.

As a natural monopoly, we are closely regulated by the GB energy regulator, Ofgem, for the work we do constructing and maintaining the transmission network in the north of Scotland. These costs are shared between all those using the transmission system, including generation developers and electricity consumers. Ofgem set how much money we invest, and how these costs are recovered from users of the electricity transmission system. 

This fund relates to the East Coast 400kV upgrade, Port Ann to Crossaig, Fort Augustus to Invergarry, and Shetland HVDC projects. Future projects are likely to fall under UK Government guidance when it is published. 

It is expected that community benefit funding for future projects will be based on the UK Government guidelines which will be published this year. 

SSEN Transmission has used a number of methods to identify the following two proposed over-arching funding themes. These themes will provide a guide to the types of project the fund will aim to support:

• People, focusing on skills, training, and employability.
• Place, emphasising the community and culture of the North of Scotland.

SSEN Transmission has identified these themes by aligning with local area needs assessments and local and regional community planning reports. Engagement with local authorities has provided current and accurate data to collate a suitable response to supporting identified area needs. SSEN Transmission has also carried out engagement with local community and third sector organisations. SSEN Transmission has also used current best practice examples from renewable energy community benefit funds.

We expect that the funding application range will be £20,000 to £50,000 for the local fund. Best practice examples from existing community benefit funds in the renewable energy sector as well as community benefit fund impact assessments have shown levels of funding within this range will be capable of creating significant impacts and supporting a wide range of projects, including both stand-alone initiatives and development programs that span longer periods of time.

To be eligible for local funding, we expect applicants will have to be a legally-constituted community group, a non-profit organisation, or a registered charity.

We will provide guidance when we release the fund documents and application process. At this stage we do not expect to support projects that primarily promote political or religious messaging, those that subsidise energy consumption costs or projects adverse to our business priorities and the broader energy sector’s interests. We also expect that funds will not be used to replace statutory funding or support individuals for personal gain.  

We propose a distribution model to maximise the fund's impact and legacy. The model proposes an allocation of 50% of the funds to be spent locally for communities hosting new Transmission projects.

The remaining 50% of the fund value would go to a regional fund covering all of the north of Scotland. This regional fund will allow for projects with wider scope and impacts to be supported.

We want to make sure we get our first community benefit fund right and we are currently developing the processes and checks required to run a fair and impactful scheme. Further information will be made available on this webpage once we have a better understanding of the timescales. 

The UK Government has released the findings and a response to its recent consultation on community benefits for new transmission infrastructure. The guidelines are expected to be published the year. 

We are currently looking at options for administration of the Community Benefit Fund. More information on this will be shared when it is available.