[Stronsaylimpet] SSEN - £3M Community Fund

[Limpet editor]

STRONSAY COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Chair: Shirley WhitemanVice Chair: Damian Stout


  SSEN –£3m Community Fund

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), the Distribution 
Network Operator for central southern England and the north of Scotland, 
is now welcoming applications to its new Powering Communities to Net 
Zero fund.

The new Powering Communities to Net Zero (PCNZ) fund is a successor to 
the previous Resilient Communities Fund, which has awarded over £5m to 
around 700 projects in the past nine years. The new fund will run 
annually from now, concluding in Spring 2028. More than £3m in grants 
will be awarded during this time. This fund will support communities 
during prolonged power interruptions caused by storms, aid their ability 
to cope in periods of severe weather, and will now also support the 
adoption of new low-carbon technologies by non-profit organisations.

*_The new fund explained:_*

The fund is split into two categories; community-led physical and 
environmental resilience, and Low Carbon Technology (LCTs).

_The new community-led physical and environmental resilience grants._

·Half of the £3m funding will be available over the next four years to 
enable communities to apply for grants that will bolster physical and 
environmental resilience measures. Further details of the criteria are 
found in the fund guidance and in the application form. Grants of up to 
£15,000 will be awarded to successful applicants in this category.

_The new low-carbon technology grants._

·The other half of the funding being made available over the next four 
years will also be available for non-profit organisations to apply for 
grants to go towards the purchase of new Low-Carbon Technology. For 
example, a successful grant application could result in a social housing 
scheme or community centre being awarded funding to contribute to the 
cost of EV chargers, solar panels, battery storage or backup, low carbon 
heating systems, smart heating controls, or other general energy 
efficiency measures. Grants of up to £20,000 will be awarded to 
successful applicants in this category.

·Note: SSEN is aware there are often lengthy lead times associated with 
community project preparations, as well as getting approval to connect 
some low carbon technologies. In light of this, SSEN is advising 
applicants to consider projects that have already been approved to apply 
in the current round, as the timescales for awarding and spending funds 
may be more likely to align. Those who are uncertain of their timescales 
can contact _colin.mcmillan at sse.com <mailto:colin.mcmillan at sse.com>_ to 
discuss this in more detail.

The deadline for applications to both categories is *5pm on Saturday 
31^st  August 2024*, and applicants are asked to consider the criteria 
in the fund guidelines. The application documents can be downloaded on 
our website _www.ssen.co.uk/pcnz <http://www.ssen.co.uk/pcnz>_. This 
gives full details of what can be supported by the fund as well as 
guidance on which projects will be prioritised.

The PCNZ Fund Panel, will review applications and determine which 
projects should receive funding, with the successful applications 
announced in late October.

More information can be found on the _SSEN w 
<https://www.ssen.co.uk/news-views/2024/SSEN-opens-applications-for-new-3m-community-fund/>eb-site._

__

CMC

17 July 2024
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