Tag: airtricity

SSE Airtricity announces €5 million Generation Green Community Fund

SSE Airtricity has launched a €5 million all-island Community Fund with the aim of delivering meaningful community benefits across the island of Ireland. The company plans to undertake a ten week consultation process, which opens today, and which will continue until 26 July, inviting views from communities, individuals and organisations from towns, villages, inner cities, and rural heartlands, to advise how the fund could best support green initiatives throughout our communities.
The SSE Airtricity Generation Green Community fund is part of SSE Airtricity’s commitment to customers and the communities it serves by supporting them on the path to net zero through education, awareness raising, as well as grant funding and energy efficiency supports. The fund aims to support communities in reaching net zero by delivering a positive and lasting social impact.
Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development said: “I am delighted that SSE Airtricity has officially launched its €5 million Green Generation Community Fund. This is a transformative level of funding that will make a real and lasting difference in rural and urban communities. It’s pleasing to see SSE Airtricity acknowledge the integral role that local communities the length and breadth of Ireland will play in the transition to Net Zero through the launch of its community fund and consultation process today.
“This new fund will support local communities across Ireland with biodiversity, education, and decarbonisation projects, along with enhancing services and amenities in rural and urban areas.
I would encourage local communities and organisations to positively engage with SSE Airtricity and its Green Generation Community Fund during the consultation phase.”
Klair Neenan, Managing Director of SSE Airtricity, said: “Getting to net zero is in everyone’s interest and local communities will be at the heart of the energy transition. We know there are passionate people and groups working hard across Ireland and we want to help them make a positive difference by powering up their sustainability plans. But funding can often be an issue. That’s why we’re delighted to launch our unique Generation Green Community Fund.
“We know issues like biodiversity, education and decarbonisation are big priorities but to ensure the funding makes the biggest difference we want to hear from local communities directly.  That’s why we’re launching this initial consultation, and we look forward to hearing from communities and individuals, to inform how the fund should be used.”
As part of the consultation process, SSE Airtricity is inviting local communities and individuals to shape what the priorities for the fund should be. This will ensure the fund focuses on what is most important to communities. Examples of priorities may include green energy upgrades for community buildings, community biodiversity projects or green skills workshops and education.
The SSE Airtricity Generation Green Community Fund will be administered in line with a number of UN Sustainable Development Goals, aligning with SSE Airtricity’s core sustainability priorities around community, biodiversity, education and decarbonisation.
The company has a long-standing commitment of supporting its customers and community groups. In response to the global energy crisis in 2022 and 2023, SSE Airtricity established a €25 million customer support fund to help its customers deal with the impacts of inflation.
The SSE Airtricity Generation Green Community Fund will be open to application later this year, following the initial consultation period.
To submit your views to the consultation or for more information, please visit: www.sseairtricity.com/communityfund

SSE Airtricity launches nationwide EV charging network

SSE Airtricity has today announced plans to develop a nationwide EV charging network.

The initiative will see SSE invest €35m to install 30 ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging hubs across Ireland over the next four years, all of which will be powered by 100% green electricity from SSE Airtricity.

As part of the EV infrastructure rollout, it has been confirmed that the first hub will open at the Lough Sheever Corporate Park in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath next year. The site will be publicly accessible and designed to accommodate long-wheelbase vehicles and buses, as well as cars and fleet vehicles.

As part of Phase One of the project in 2023, and subject to planning permission, additional hubs with 10 charging bays will be installed in Blanchardstown Business Park and Greenogue Industrial Estate in Dublin.

It is expected that a total of six sites will be operational by the end of 2023, with a further 10 coming online in 2024. Each ultra-rapid bay will have charging capabilities of up to 150 kilowatts (kW), sufficient to deliver 12.5 kms of range per minute of charging.

The announcement follows the Electric Vehicle Summit 2022 at the RDS in Dublin this week, where SSE Airtricity was a headline sponsor.

Kevin Welstead, EV Director Sector SSE, said: “At SSE, we have extensive experience in the development and rollout of EV charging infrastructure. From our network in the UK, we understand that when it comes to charging people just want to be back on the move on in the shortest amount of time possible.

“We’re delighted to launch our first EV charging hubs in Ireland, and we’re really excited about the network we are going to develop over the coming years. In building out this infrastructure, we want to ensure peace of mind for all EV drivers – domestic, car fleet, commercial – that when they show up at one of our facilities, they can plug in to a working, high power charger as soon as they arrive, and that they can be back on the move within the shortest amount of time possible.”

Klair Neenan, Managing Director SSE Airtricity, said: “SSE Airtricity has a long-standing commitment of delivering green energy and green energy solutions to our customers, and we’re delighted to take that a step further with the announcement of the SSE Airtricity EV charging hubs.

“With COP27 underway in Egypt, today’s announcement is fitting as we renew our commitment to supporting Ireland’s climate change targets and support Government’s Climate Action Plan and EV transport targets.”  

SSE has committed to installing 300 ultra-rapid charging hubs powered by traceable, renewable energy across Ireland and the UK over the next five years. The very first hub, on Castlebank Street in Glasgow, went live at the end of September.

A 2021 study by the UK’s Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology found that Ireland ranked joint-last in terms of implementing charging infrastructure. The Government’s 2021 Climate Action Plan has set a target of one million EVs on the roads by 2030, including private cars, heavy goods vehicles, small public service vehicles, and larger public transport vehicles.

Figures released last month by the UK’s Department for Transport revealed that Northern Ireland has the lowest level of charging device provision in the UK (18 devices per 100,000).

In addition to announcing this nationwide infrastructure across Ireland, SSE has also just completed a deal with pan-European portfolio company, M7 Real Estate, to install charging hubs at the 20 locations the company manages in the United Kingdom.