SSEN Transmission begins recruitment for £3.2m community benefit fund panel in Argyll

SSEN Transmission has begun recruiting panel members for its first Argyll Community Benefit Fund worth over £3 million.

The first fund in Argyll will be focused on communities closest to the Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Reinforcement Project, which is a major programme of electricity network upgrades designed to strengthen Argyll’s energy infrastructure and support the transition to clean power.

The £3.2m local fund - one of the first of its kind under new UK Government guidance - has been created to ensure that communities hosting this essential new transmission infrastructure benefit directly from the investment, with support available across the ten community council areas neighbouring the Argyll and Kintyre 275kV project.

To help guide how the funding is distributed, we are establishing a decision-making panel made up of community members from Argyll, who will be joined on the panel by one representative from SSEN Transmission. This recruitment follows a series of public consultation events held in September 2025, where local residents were invited to share their views on how the fund should be spent and how the benefits of the Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Reinforcement Project should be shared locally.

Linsay Chalmers, Community Investment Manager for SSEN Transmission’s Community Benefit Funds in Argyll said:

“The Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Reinforcement Project represents a major investment in strengthening Argyll’s electricity network, and it’s only right that the communities hosting this infrastructure share directly in the benefits.

The feedback we received during last year’s consultations was invaluable. We’re keen to hear from a diverse range of potential panel members who understand Argyll and have experience of the community and voluntary sector, or the Argyll and Kintyre Fund’s themes - addressing the root causes of depopulation, improving connectivity, and tackling the climate and biodiversity crises – creating lasting benefits for today’s communities and future generations.”

Call for applications

We invite individuals from across Argyll to apply to join the panel. Applications will close on 10 April this year. Once selected, based on skills and interests, panel members will receive training and meet at least once a year to make decisions on applications to the fund.

In accordance with guidance for the community benefit fund, community councillors, local authority staff and elected members cannot be part of the decision-making panel.

For more information on how to apply, visit the Argyll Local Fund page.