SSE Renewables opens £1m fund to Highland communities to support net zero ambitions

A £1 million fund to drive the net zero ambitions of communities in the Highlands has been opened by SSE Renewables.

The fund will provide grants of over £30,000 to help communities across the region realise their ambitions in an environmentally sustainable fashion.

With the drive towards a net zero Scotland gathering pace, the Sustainable Development Fund offers non-profit making organisations, community groups and charities across the Highland region the opportunity to deliver social, economic and environmental changes in their areas, support a low carbon future, enable long-term community development and add value to the local economy.

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The fund has invested £8.1million in the Highlands over 10 years to support projects including an award of £146,000 to develop The Ledge Climbing Centre in Inverness which opened this year.

The Ledge, which supports the health, well-being and skills of people of all ages in northern Scotland, used the funds to install low energy lighting and heating, improvements to the centre’s electrical system, and ultrasonic equipment to reduce the amount of water used when cleaning climbing equipment.

Ledge manager Duncan MacCallum said: "With significant support from the SSE Renewables Sustainable Development Fund, The Ledge has been able to take forward our communities’ vision of providing a modern and sustainable indoor climbing facility for the people of Inverness and beyond.

"As part of this, we are very pleased that this funding has helped our centre to reduce energy use and so contribute to protecting the very environment that rock climbing depends on."

Lord Jack McConnell, chairman of the Sustainable Development Fund, said this round provided an opportunity for groups across the Highlands to benefit from community funding from its renewable energy infrastructure.

"Through the fund, SSE Renewables is looking to support community-based projects that will deliver transformative change and contribute towards the region’s transition to net zero," he said.

The deadline for applications to the fund is noon on Wednesday 10 January 2024.

Further information can be found via www.sserenewables.com.

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