We are committed to being a good neighbour to the local communities in which we work and operate.
Over the course of the project, our community relations team will keep people informed of our works, respond quickly to any queries and help support local good causes and the environment.
EGL1 Community Benefit Fund
EGL1 is one of the first three electricity transmission projects in the UK to be given a dedicated Community Benefit Fund.
The £8 million fund will support local communities in England and Scotland to deliver social, environmental and economic benefits, and will be split evenly between the two regions.
We want to ensure that communities gain the maximum possible benefit from this fund. We will therefore start by actively engaging with local communities and representatives, to ensure that programmes respond to local needs and maximimise benefits for local communities and the wider regions.
As a business regulated by Ofgem, we must deliver best value for consumers and the communities we serve. We will be transparent in our approach, reporting on the impacts that our funding delivers.
This engagement, along with forthcoming government guidance on community benefit, will help to shape our strategy for delivering community benefit.
Community Liaison Group (CLG) in England
We have a regular Community Liaison Group (CLG) in County Durham, which is attended by elected representatives and organisations local to our works in the Seaham area.
The CLG gives its members and their wider communities updates on the project’s construction and allows matters that are important to people who live and work locally to be raised.
Please see minutes from our meetings below:
Forums in Scotland
In East Lothian, we attend a number of local forums that are in place to keep the local community informed and to aid coordination between developers. These include:
- East Lothian Energy forum hosted by Paul McLennan (MSP)
- East Lothian Developers - Construction Traffic forum – Hosted by SSE Renewables
- East Lothian’s Wind of Change group – Chaired by Chris Bruce of East Lammermuir Community Council
- East Lammermuir Renewable Energy Development Stakeholder Sessions - hosted by East Lothian Council
- East Lammermuir Steering Group – hosted by East Lammermuir Community Council
FAQs
We want to deliver fair and enduring benefits for the communities that are hosting new electricity transmission infrastructure.
Our Community Benefit Fund will deliver lasting local economic, societal and environmental benefits.
Community benefits in the context of network infrastructure mean extra ways for local communities to benefit from having a new electricity infrastructure project in their area. These benefits are an additional mechanism that is separate from the usual planning process. They help enhance the local economy, society, and environment to leave a positive legacy.
Our Community Benefit Funding will only offer funding for wider, shared community benefits. We will fund community-led initiatives which aim to deliver lasting social, environmental and economic benefits for the local communities.
The UK Government are considering how community benefits should be delivered for those hosting new transmission infrastructure, including both wider community benefits, and direct benefits such as bill discounts.
This community benefit funding has been approved ahead of that announcement, and will deliver wider, shared benefits which aim to deliver lasting social, environmental and economic benefits for the local community and region.
EGL1 is one of the first transmission projects to be granted a Community Benefit Fund.
We are currently working up a strategy for delivering these benefits, including how funding will be distributed and who will be eligible, and a timeline for when we can deliver these benefits.
We will be working with communities and local representatives to help shape this strategy, whilst adhering to forthcoming government guidance.
We will publish further information on timescales, eligibility and the process on this website in due course.
Ofgem has provided EGL1 with a Community Benefit Fund to ensure deliver on government’s desire to see that local communities benefit from hosting transmission infrastructure.
Unlike other developers, transmission owners such as SP Energy Networks and National Grid will be subject to forthcoming government guidance on community benefits for transmission infrastructure. Ofgem will also require us to report on the local benefits that are delivered through our Community Benefit Fund to ensure we are delivering best value for money.
As a result, we are unfortunately not able to merge our funds with those provided by other developers due to these requirements.
We will be working with communities to give a clear understanding of the opportunities available and provide support in accessing the Community Benefit Fund if required.