SSEN Transmission achieves top stakeholder engagement rating for third year

SSEN Transmission has been awarded a top rating for stakeholder engagement for the third year running, following a comprehensive audit conducted by leading global consulting and standards firm, AccountAbility.

It has scored 88% on the AccountAbility Stakeholder Engagement Maturity Ladder in its 2024 AA1000 Healthcheck – a rise on last year’s rating of 85%. The rating comes at a time when the company has significantly increased its volume of engagement, as part of its £20bn investment to upgrade the transmission network across the north of Scotland to support the clean energy transition.

The AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard is considered the ‘gold standard’ in stakeholder engagement accreditation and helps ensure the highest standards in professional stakeholder engagement are delivered.

SSEN Transmission’s latest performance sees the company maintain its position in the highest ‘Advanced’ stage of AccountAbility’s Maturity Ladder – an important commitment it promised to achieve by March 2026, which is the end of energy regulator Ofgem’s price control period for the UK’s high voltage electricity transmission network, known as RIIO-T2.

The AccountAbility AA1000 Healthcheck incorporates a thorough review of stakeholder engagement practices, including interviews with stakeholders.

Among the key achievements contributing to SSEN Transmission’s overall performance in this year’s AA1000 Healthcheck are a 94% rating in the pillar relating to commitment and integration, where the company’s strong culture of stakeholder engagement across the business was highlighted as a key attribute. This included a 100% score for commitment to the AA1000 AccountAbility Principles (2018), relating to inclusivity, impact, responsiveness and materiality.

Meanwhile, the company’s Network for Net Zero webinars held to discuss its Pathway to 2030 projects – and subsequent actions to address stakeholder feedback – were identified as another key strength contributing to its good performance.

Watch the video below to hear from Nicola Findlay, SSEN Transmission's Communications Policy Manager:

Nicola Findlay, SSEN Transmission Communications Policy Manager said:

“The AA1000 Series of Standards represent a principles-based framework, used globally by businesses to demonstrate leadership and performance in accountability, responsibility, and sustainability.

“This is considered the ‘gold standard’ in stakeholder engagement accreditation, so achieving an advanced rating for a third year in a row is a fantastic achievement and shows our stakeholders that we are committed to greater collaboration and more purposeful and targeted engagement.

“We will continue to engage with AccountAbility and seek to enhance our approach based on its recommendations, as we strive to ensure the best results for our business and its stakeholders.”

Christianna Logan, SSEN Transmission Director of Customers and Stakeholders said: “Being a stakeholder-led business is something we’re really proud of, and achieving and maintaining a position in the Advanced stage of AccountAbility’s Maturity Ladder is a fantastic result.

“Along with external stakeholders, our SSEN Transmission colleagues from the Capital Development and Delivery team and our IT and Digital teams were among those interviewed by Accountability. Best practise was highlighted in several key areas including employee engagement, digitalisation projects, our work with customers, and engagement on capital projects.

“Our business is growing significantly, and this score demonstrates the continuous improvements that our staff are making to deliver inclusive stakeholder engagement as we work together to deliver a network for net zero.

“I would like to thank all our stakeholders for their continued engagement with us, for participating in our surveys and for providing feedback. All of this help us keep stakeholders at the forefront of our business.”