The UK’s biggest-ever electricity transmission project is to provide more than £2m in funding for local initiatives in Peterhead and the surrounding area.
The Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) Peterhead Local Fund aims to deliver more than £400,000 a year over five years to benefit the local community.
The fund is due to open on 15 April and will provide a total of £2,159,444 to communities in and around Peterhead over a five-year period.
Developer SSEN Transmission is currently recruiting for local people to join a panel that will oversee funding decisions.
The deadline for applications to join the panel is 30 May.
EGL2 is a 525kV, 2GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea transmission cable from Peterhead to Drax in Yorkshire delivered as a joint venture by SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET).
At over 500km in length, EGL2 includes what will be the longest HVDC subsea cable in the UK (436km) and is the UK’s single largest electricity transmission project ever, providing enough green electricity to power around two million homes.
Work is now well underway to deliver a new HVDC converter station at Boddam near Peterhead as part of the £4.3bn project (pictured).
The converter station will help connect the 436km subsea HVDC cable system to existing transmission network infrastructure, supporting national clean energy and energy security ambitions.
The launch of the community fund marks the latest step in progress on the project, which is due for completion in 2029.
Priorities for the EGL2 Peterhead Local Fund have been identified in consultation with the local community.
They include education, employment and skills; protection of the natural environment, transport; community infrastructure; heritage and culture, and community action planning.
A separate micro-grant scheme will see five local community councils each receive £4,319 a year over five years, to fund any projects that benefit the local community up to the value of £500.
These grants are designed to provide immediate support, for example, to help the high number of youth groups and other third sector organisations within Peterhead and the surrounding area.
EGL2 project director from SSEN Transmission Ricky Saez said: “Our EGL2 Peterhead Local Fund will provide over £2m in funding for initiatives and projects over the next five years, supporting this nationally critical project’s unwavering commitment towards delivering a strong and lasting legacy for local communities.
“In September we celebrated a significant milestone with the official start of construction on EGL2, and the launch of our local fund marks another huge step in this project that will bring economic benefit to Peterhead and surrounding communities, throughout the construction phase and beyond.
“The fund has been shaped through consultation we have undertaken with the community, and we’re recruiting for local people to sit on our panel overseeing funding decisions.
“This will ensure that funding meets the needs of communities in Peterhead and delivers a lasting local legacy.”