SSE has invested £1.5 million over ten years to provide scholarship funding from its wind farms to students attending Third Level education in Northern Ireland.
The news comes with the publication by SSE Renewables of its latest Northern Ireland Community Investment Review for the financial year 2023-24. The review details how the leading renewable energy generator has provided £1.46 million since 2004 to fund scholarships for 452 scholars attending third level education at Ulster University, South West College and North West Regional College. In the last year alone, SSE Renewables has invested £194,000 from its wind farms in Northern Ireland to fund scholarships for 63 students.
The SSE report also details how the company has contributed close to £5 million so far in voluntary community funding from its wind farms to people-led projects in the immediate vicinity of its four wind farms in the North West.
To mark this decade-long milestone, SSE Renewables presented a copy of the company’s latest Northern Ireland Community Investment review to Conor Murphy, Minister for the Economy.
Economy Minister, Conor Murphy, commented: “I commend SSE Renewables on its commitment to supporting the communities that surround its wind farms. The Scholarship Fund has been instrumental in helping hundreds of young people across the north in realising their potential, which is in addition to the support community groups receive from SSE Renewables community funds.”
Over the last decade, the SSE Renewables Scholarship Fund has been providing financial support for up to 50% of third-level fees, up to three years, to students living in County Derry/Londonderry, County Tyrone, County Fermanagh, and County Donegal, studying at each of the partner institutions.
The wind-powered scholarship programme is funded by the SSE Renewables Regional Fund for Slieve Kirk Wind Park and Tievenameenta Wind Farm, both owned and operated by SSE Renewables, as well as the Greencoat Renewables owned Slieve Divena II Wind Farm.
In addition to the SSE Renewables Scholarship Fund, SSE Renewables operates community funds linked to each of its four wind farms in Northern Ireland.
SSE’s latest Community Investment Review demonstrates that over the lifetime of the company’s community investment activities in Northern Ireland, it has directly invested over £4.8 million so far from its onshore wind farms into rural communities in counties Derry/Londonderry, Tyrone, and Fermanagh as well as in Co. Donegal.
Over the past year, these funds have invested over £450,000 in local communities benefiting a total of 99 community groups.
Mark Ennis, Chairman of SSE in Ireland, commented: “It is powerful to reflect on how impactful our community funds are, especially as we come together to celebrate the legacy of the SSE Renewables Scholarship Fund. We are proud to have helped young people across Northern Ireland to progress into key employment sectors from science, engineering and medicine. As we celebrate this important moment, we also look to the future. SSE will continue to work with the Executive to help Northern Ireland meet its renewable energy targets over the coming decades.”
All SSE Renewables community investment funds are designed to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on areas such as quality education, promoting good health and well-being and building sustainable communities.