A Perth renewables control centre was officially opened by First Minister John Swinney at SSE’s city headquarters today (Friday).
It comes after SSE Renewables’ onshore wind, solar and battery operating portfolio grew last year to almost 2.5GW, following the completion of the 443MW Viking Wind Farm in Shetland and its 50MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in Salisbury which both entered commercial operations in 2024.
Collectively, the onshore operating portfolio has delivered £62m in index linked community benefit funding across Great Britain, with £58m in Scotland alone. This has helped to unlock over four thousand lifeline community projects in rural Scotland, including 105 community owned houses and enhancing 366 community owned assets from medical centres to shops and sports centres.
In Perth and Kinross, SSE Renewables’ Sustainable Development Fund has awarded £1.1m to 36 strategic community led projects in the region to date including the Crannog Centre in Kenmore and the Wasps Creative Exchange in Perth. The next round of the £250k Perth and Kinross Sustainable Development Fund will open again for eligible projects in Spring 2025.
The control centre, designed with the feedback of operational staff at its core, will enhance SSE Renewables’ operational facilities in support of expected future growth in its onshore wind, solar and battery portfolio.
With over 800MW of onshore renewables now in construction across the UK and Ireland, the new control centre is an important investment in enabling safe and efficient management of existing and future operations.
Mr Swinney said: “SSE’s new Onshore Renewable Energy Control Centre in Perth will play a critical role in helping Scotland meet our shared renewable energy and climate ambitions. SSE has made significant progress made towards building a cleaner energy system and the Scottish Government is absolutely committed to working with the industry to achieve this goal.
“Having toured these state-of-the-art facilities, it is clear the investment that SSE is putting into the transition to a clean energy system. Meeting members of operational staff has underlined the fantastic opportunities that are being created by this investment and the talent that SSE and industry has to help drive forward the energy transition.”
SSE Renewables director of onshore wind, solar and battery Heather Donald said: “We are delighted to have welcomed First Minister John Swinney to officially open our new Onshore Control Centre at Inveralmond House.
“We’re proud to have invested in the development and delivery of this international onshore renewables hub in Perth. This state-of-the-art facility represents a significant leap forward in how we safely and efficiently manage onshore renewable assets across the UK and Ireland.
“As the UK races to a homegrown energy system anchored in clean green renewable power, our investment in this vital operational centre ensures Scotland, with its incredible wind resource, will remain at the heart of the energy transition for decades to come.”