Shetland Community Benefit Fund (SCBF) and SSE renewables have signed a new legal agreement that will see communities across Shetland benefit from the £2.2 million a year fund.
The agreement covers how the SCBF payments will be managed for the lifetime of the Viking Wind Farm, which will see about £72 million help fund local projects. SCBF will oversee the fund’s administration to ensure that local people make all funding decisions for the benefit of Shetland.
The four community council areas that house Viking Wind Farm’s turbines will be prioritised in the distribution of benefits.
SSE Renewables has agreed the SCBF initial five-year business plan, developed after island-wide consultation. Most of the funds will go to major strategic projects that will help make ‘lasting changes’ for the islands. The business plan also looks to support community schemes.
Billed as the ‘largest onshore community benefit fund in the UK’, the first funding will be made once the 443MW onshore Viking Wind Farm becomes operational later this summer. Original consent for the wind farm was approved by Scottish Ministers in 2012; the last of its 103 turbines was installed in August 2023.
Since then, the project has supported Shetland’s, Scottish and wider UK supply chains, creating about 400 jobs at the peak of its construction.
SCBF chair Chris Bunyan said: “The legal agreement and Business Plan represents the culmination of many years work but, to coin a phrase, was only the end of the beginning. The really hard part starts now in identifying and supporting local projects. We will be publicising widely what the fund can support and how to apply.”
Lindsay Dougan, SSE Renewables senior community investment manager, added: “We are committed to providing a lasting legacy for Shetland’s communities. The fund, which is one of the largest onshore funds in the UK, has already provided over 420 awards to local projects during the construction of Viking Wind Farm.
“The announcement today is a pivotal point and further underlines our commitment to working with local people to ensure Shetland benefits.”
