Peterhead South and Cruden SNP councillor Stephen Smith has welcomed the announcement of the launch date for a £2million Community Fund set to benefit the local area over the next five years.
SSEN Transmission’s Eastern Green Link 2 project which is currently under construction on the outskirts of Peterhead is the UK’s biggest-ever electricity transmission project. In addition to the £2million fund, five local Community Councils will receive annual funding of over £4300 to administer in the form of micro-grants for small local projects.
The Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) Peterhead Local Fund is due to open on Tuesday 15th April, and will provide a total of £2,159,444 to communities in and around the Blue Toon over a five-year period, supporting projects and initiatives covering several priority areas that have been shaped by input from the local community. SSEN Transmission is currently recruiting for local people to join a panel that will oversee funding decisions, with the deadline for applications to the panel due to close on Friday 30th May.
EGL2 is a 525kV, 2GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea transmission cable from Peterhead to Drax in Yorkshire delivered as a joint venture by SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET). The launch of the fund marks the latest step in progress on the £4.3bn project, which is due for completion in 2029.
Commenting, Cllr Stephen Smith said:
“The North-east corner is the focus of attention for many energy infrastructure projects at the moment. It is right that projects which come on stream should deliver community benefit, not just in the use of local labour and suppliers where possible, but also in the form of community funding.
“I’m pleased that the Eastern Green Link 2 Project and SSEN Transmission have recognised this and have now presented their funding scheme with applications set to open in mid-April and I would encourage local groups to apply for funding.”
Further information on the Eastern Green Link 2 Peterhead Local Fund, including how to apply for funding is available here:
https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/information-centre/community-benefit-fund/local-funds/our-eastern-green-link-2-peterhead-local-fund
