2021 Community Fund opens to groups near Kingsmountain and Dunneill Wind Farms

SSE Renewables is supporting community groups to power local change as they open the 2021 Community Funds for Kingsmountain and Dunneill Wind Farms in Co. Sligo.

SSE Renewables has been donating to local projects in the vicinity of the wind farms since 2004, and the latest contribution of over €35,000 in 2020 takes the total amount awarded in the region to over €495,000.

A total of 31 local groups benefitted in 2020, including six schools, who used their funding to implement Covid-19 safety measures. Sports clubs and community groups also received awards.

Applications to the 2021 SSE Renewables Community Fund are open until 28 January 2022 for community-based projects within a 20km radius of Kingsmountain and Dunneill wind farms, with preference given to projects within five kilometres.

SSE Renewables is the leading developer, owner and operator of onshore wind in Ireland, and is the power behind leading green energy power supplier, SSE Airtricity. It operates over 700MW of onshore wind farms in locations across the country, including Ireland’s largest wind farm, the 174MW Galway Wind Park in Connemara, County Galway. SSE has invested €3.8 billion in the Irish economy since entering the market in 2008.

Through its annual Community Fund programme, SSE Renewables has awarded almost €9m so far to over 3,600 community projects in the communities closest to its wind farms. This funding has helped support local groups, sports organisations and schools among others to develop their facilities with energy efficiency and sustainability upgrades, as well as social and environmental projects that enable community development.

This year marks a change in the name of the funding programme. Previously promoted under the SSE Airtricity brand, the programme will now be known as the SSE Renewables Community Fund. The change is designed to better link annual funding award payments from SSE’s wind farms in Ireland to SSE Renewables, which owns and operates each of the company’s wind farm sites.

Speaking at the launch of the fund, Anne Reynolds, SSE Renewables Community Liaison Officer, said:

“We know from our work in the areas in which we operate that local community groups are at the heart of all the good work being done to support people and improve their lives. They are also at the forefront of bringing innovation to their community to make them more sustainable. That is why the SSE Renewables Community Fund has been so successful as it supports, energizes and helps invigorate the communities around our wind farms.

“We are delighted to have invested almost half a million Euro since 2004 in the communities around Kingsmountain and Dunneill wind farms. We look forward to welcoming new applications this year and building new partnerships with the 2021 SSE Renewables Community Fund.”

Kingsmountain and Dunneill Wind Farms in Co. Sligo have a combined capacity of over 36MW, and produce enough green energy to power over 24,000 homes in the region.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on 28 January 2022. For more information on how to apply, visit www.sserenewables.com/communityfund or contact the Community Fund Manager via email at [email protected].