SSE announces record £24.9m community investment across UK and Ireland

Community Investment Review highlights support for nearly 1,300 projects – creating jobs, tackling fuel poverty and strengthening local economies

SSE has announced a record £24.9 million investment in communities during 2025/26, supporting 1,284 projects across the UK and Ireland and bringing its total community investment to date to more than £137 million.

Published today, SSE’s Community Investment Review for 2025/26 shows how communities are using funding from across SSE Renewables, SSEN Transmission, SSEN Distribution, SSE Thermal and SSE Airtricity to deliver lasting social, economic and environmental benefits.

Over the past year, SSE-supported projects helped create or retain 214 jobs, awarded 268 scholarships, enhanced or built 99 community assets, enabled 481 schools to access STEM opportunities and supported 81 community energy projects.

Across the UK and Ireland, communities are using SSE funding to deliver affordable housing, tackle fuel poverty, create skills and employment opportunities, develop community-owned energy projects and strengthen local services.

The review highlights projects ranging from community-owned housing developments in the Scottish Highlands and support for households experiencing extreme fuel poverty to opportunities for young people entering the fishing industry in Shetland and innovative community-owned energy schemes in South Lanarkshire.

Rhian Kelly, Chief Sustainability Officer at SSE, said:

“Communities should share in the value created by the energy assets they host. Through our community investment programme, we are helping deliver local priorities, strengthen local economies and support communities to shape the future they want to see – in every postcode near to our major renewable developments.

“This year we have invested more than ever before, with a record £24.9 million supporting communities across the UK and Ireland. We are seeing first-hand how communities are using this funding to create jobs, tackle fuel poverty, develop affordable housing, support young people and strengthen local services.

“Since launching our community investment programmes, SSE has invested more than £137 million in communities. As we continue to invest in the electricity infrastructure needed to support energy security and future growth, we remain committed to ensuring communities benefit alongside that investment.”

The review also highlights SSE’s commitment to community-led decision making, with local communities helping shape funding priorities and independent community representatives playing a central role in investment decisions. This approach helps ensure investment reflects local priorities while creating long-term benefits for current and future generations.

As SSE continues to invest in renewable energy, electricity networks and wider energy infrastructure, community investment remains a core part of its approach, helping communities share in the economic, social and environmental benefits of that investment.

Read the review here.

Breakdown per Local Authority with example projects can be found in Notes to Editor.

NOTES TO EDITOR

Local Authority	Funding	Projects	Example Project
Highland	£5,758,100	235	New Start Highland. Awarded £95,327 to establish a Highland hospitality and cookery school, equipping disadvantaged people with skills, training and qualifications for employment in the hospitality sector.
Shetland and Orkney	£2,260,166	73	Warmworks Scotland LLP. Awarded £470,314 to provide energy efficiency top-up grants, supporting window and door improvements and reducing administration costs.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	£782,860	4	Tighean Innse Gall. Awarded £393,883 to develop affordable decarbonisation pathways and innovative housin solutions, tackling fuel poverty across the Outer Hebrides through tailored energy efficiency measures.
Aberdeen	£166,565	3	Aberdeen Cyrenians. Awarded £149,362 to establish NorthBridge, a collaboration hub supporting people facing redundancy with employment support, skills development, entrepreneurial opportunities and wellbeing services.
Aberdeenshire	£521,402	33	North East Scotland College. Awarded £150,000 to invest in Aberdeen’s Energy Transition Skills Hub, Scotland’s first dedicated education facility supporting the growing demand for energy transition skills.
Angus	£142,000	6	Kirriemuir Youth Project. Awarded £5,000 to deliver a summer activity programme for young people aged 11 to 15, encouraging confidence, social interaction and new skills.
Dundee	£89,934	2	Helm Training. Awarded £49,934 to deliver the Anchors Up programme, helping disadvantaged young people progress into employment through guidance, group learning and vocational training.
Perth and Kinross	£2,080,281	70	Pitlochry Community Action Trust. Awarded £100,000 to develop Pitlochry All Wheels Park, creating an inclusive wheeled sports facility for residents and visitors.
Stirling	£138,173	2	The McLaren Hall. Awarded £63,173 to upgrade the village hall through improved fire safety, modernised facilities, a new heating system and replacement windows and doors.
Argyll and Bute	£916,454	35	Oban Lorne Rugby Club. Awarded £100,000 to improve accessibility and safety through a new accessible stand, upgraded perimeter fencing and enhanced pathways.
North Ayrshire	£23,066	1	Arran High School Mountain Bike Club. Awarded £23,066 to enhance year-round access to Dyemill Bike Park through low-carbon energy infrastructure, improved lighting and enhanced cycling opportunities.
South Ayrshire	£176,025	17	Barr Community SCIO. Awarded £25,000 to improve Barr Village Hall through essential upgrades and repairs, securing the long-term future of this valued community facility.
Scottish Borders	£442,494	32	Heriot Country Kids. Awarded £27,628 to support a rural childcare practitioner, ensuring the continued delivery of after-school and holiday childcare services.
South Lanarkshire	£2,626,624	77	RISE Employability Programme. Awarded £200,000 to deliver a 12-week employability programme supporting young people as they progress into training, employment and further education.
Dumfries and Galloway	£506,451	51	Kirkconnel & Kelloholm Development Trust. Awarded £50,000 to deliver five affordable homes for older residents within the local community.
Multiple LA’s	£886,987	5
Suffolk	£11,580	12	Inspire Suffolk. Awarded £1,000 to deliver the Safe Space project, supporting young people experiencing isolation and anxiety in Lowestoft.
North Lincolnshire	£445,198	69	Railway Bowls Club. Awarded £30,000 to deliver a clubhouse extension, improving facilities for members and the wider community.
North East England – South Tyneside	£530,990	135	Sunderland Software City. Awarded £30,000 to deliver the second year of a digital careers programme, supporting young people into technology-focused employment pathways.
Medway	£25,000	14	Hoo Peninsula Cares C.I.C. Awarded £2,000 To create a gardening group to support people’s mental health and for those with dementia.
Berkshire	£20,000	1	Hampstead Norreys Amenities Trust. Awarded £20,000 to install solar PV panels and battery storage at Hampstead Norreys Village Hall, improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions and strengthening community resilience.
Dorset	£43,933	1	The Gillingham Community and Leisure Trust. Awarded £10,000 to install a voltage optimiser at RiversMeet Leisure Facility, improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and supporting long-term sustainability.
Hampshire	£91,785	3	East Boldre Village Hall. Awarded £15,000 to install a backup generator and connection circuit, enabling the hall to operate as a warm refuge during power outages.
Isle of Wight	£25,000	1	Cowes Town Council. Awarded £15,000 to provide emergency flood response equipment, helping residents and businesses recover from severe weather events.
Oxfordshire	£18,101	1	Deddington Parish Council. Awarded £13,251 to install battery storage and an inverter at the Windmill Community Centre, strengthening its role as a community resilience hub.
West Sussex	£10,000	1	Bury Parish Council. Awarded £20,000 to install solar PV panels, battery storage and backup power infrastructure at Bury Village Hall, enhancing resilience and reducing emissions.
Wiltshire	£135,977	2	Shrewton Parish Council. Awarded £2,375 to purchase secure storage for community resilience equipment at the local recreation ground.

ABOUT SSE

SSE’s purpose is to provide energy needed today while building a better world of energy for tomorrow. We do this by developing, building, operating and investing in electricity infrastructure and businesses needed in the energy transition. This includes electricity transmission and distribution networks, onshore and offshore wind farms, hydro-electric power and flexible thermal generation technologies. We also provide energy products and services for businesses and other customers. Our Transforming for Growth investment plan sees us investing £33bn in critical electricity infrastructure across the five years to 2030.

A FTSE-100 company headquartered in Scotland with operations across the UK and Ireland, SSE also has a presence in carefully selected international markets. We employ more than 14,500 people and are proud to be a Living Wage, Living Hours and Living Pension employer and to be accredited with the Fair Tax Mark. SSE was also the first company in the world to develop a ‘Just Transition Strategy’ aimed at ensuring the benefits of the clean energy transition are shared by workers and communities.

PRESS CONTACTS

Email [email protected] or call 0345 0760 530. Press release issued by SSE plc, Inveralmond House, 200 Dunkeld Road, Perth, Perthshire, PH1 3AQ. For company information visit www.sse.com/company-details

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