SSE Opens Next Round of BOWL Fund

SSE has opened the next round of its Partnership fund for the Beatrice offshore wind farm, making GBP 600,000 available to support transformative community projects in both Highland and Moray in Scotland.

The Partnership fund, worth a total of GBP 3 million over a five year period, is now inviting applications from non-profit making organizations, community groups and charities from the area.

In order to be eligible for funding, projects should increase opportunities for education and employment, build resilience and protect vulnerable residents and/or build sustainable places, SSE said.

The deadline for submitting applications is 5 July.

“The projects the panel funded during the last rounds are thriving, and the fund provides an excellent opportunity for communities to realise their ambitions and build stronger local economies,” Fraser Grieve, Chair of the Beatrice Partnership fund panel, said.

“The purpose of the fund is to support activities that will enhance the area and it has the potential to provide real and significant benefits to the local community over the coming years. We are very much looking forward to receiving strong applications that will make a real difference for both areas.”

The Partnership fund was launched in December 2016 and is part of a wider package of benefits offered by Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited (BOWL), the joint venture partnership behind the offshore wind project.

Located in the Outer Moray Firth off Scotland, the 588MW Beatrice offshore wind farm is expected to be operational by the end of 2019.