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<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--> <font size="2">STRONSAY COMMUNITY COUNCIL</font>
<p class="MsoTitle"><font size="2"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Chair:
Shirley Whiteman<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Vice
Chair: Damian Stout</span></font><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> <br>
</span></p>
<h1><font size="2">SSEN –<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>£3m
Community Fund</font><span style="font-weight:normal"></span></h1>
<p style="background:white"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#002060">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.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222"></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#002060">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.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#222222"></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><b><u><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:
"Arial",sans-serif;color:#002060">The new fund explained:</span></u></b><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222"></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#002060">The fund is split into two categories; community-led
physical
and environmental resilience, and Low Carbon Technology (LCTs).</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222"></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><u><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#002060">The new community-led physical and environmental
resilience
grants.</span></u><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:
l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;background:white"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;color:#222222"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#002060">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.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#222222"></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><u><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#002060">The new low-carbon technology grants.</span></u><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:
l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;background:white"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;color:#002060"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#002060">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.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#002060"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:
l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list 36.0pt;background:white"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;color:#222222"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#002060">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 </span><u><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#467886"><a
href="mailto:colin.mcmillan@sse.com" target="_blank"><span
style="font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif;color:#467886">colin.mcmillan@sse.com</span></a></span></u><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#002060"> to
discuss this in more detail.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#222222"></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#002060">The deadline for applications to both categories is <b>5pm
on Saturday 31<sup>st</sup> August 2024</b>, and applicants
are asked to
consider the criteria in the fund guidelines. The application
documents can be
downloaded on our website </span><u><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#467886"><a
href="http://www.ssen.co.uk/pcnz" target="_blank"><span
style="font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif;color:#467886">www.ssen.co.uk/pcnz</span></a></span></u><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#002060">.
This
gives full details of what can be supported by the fund as well
as guidance on
which projects will be prioritised.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#222222"></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#002060">The PCNZ Fund Panel, will review applications and
determine
which projects should receive funding, with the successful
applications
announced in late October.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#222222"></span></p>
<p class="m3798072510271541714elementtoproof"
style="margin:0cm;background:white"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#002060">More
information can be found on the </span><u><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#467886"><a
href="https://www.ssen.co.uk/news-views/2024/SSEN-opens-applications-for-new-3m-community-fund/"
target="_blank"><span
style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#467886">SSEN
w</span></a>eb-site.</span></u></p>
<p class="m3798072510271541714elementtoproof"
style="margin:0cm;background:white"><u><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#467886"><span
style="text-decoration:none"> </span></span></u></p>
<p class="m3798072510271541714elementtoproof"
style="margin:0cm;background:white"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#467886">CMC</span></p>
<p class="m3798072510271541714elementtoproof"
style="margin:0cm;background:white"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#467886">17
July
2024</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222"></span></p>
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