Viking benefit fund agrees £2.2 million deal with SSE
Chloe Irvine
Organisers of the Shetland Community Benefit Fund (SCBF) have celebrated today (Wednesday) after signing a new legal agreement which offers yearly payouts of £2.2 million.
Priority areas include encouraging young people to stay on the islands, helping to reduce the cost of living, improved broadband and mobile coverage, more affordable housing and the environment.
Another priority area includes transport – although no funding will be provided to tunnel action groups for Whalsay, Unst and Yell, as fixed links are “clearly central government responsibilities”.
SCBF chairman Chris Bunyan said: “After a lengthy discussion, we eventually signed the legal agreement with SSE renewables’ Viking Energy Windfarm.
“We’ve also had the five-year business plan approved by SSE, so all of the legal bits are all sorted.”
Mr Bunyan said the main fund will kick off “some time this summer” when Viking Energy is “putting power down the inter-connector commercially”.
Read the full story in this week’s Shetland Times.
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