Approximately 416 community groups across Ireland have secured investment totalling €1.2 million from leading developer SSE Renewables.

The firm released its latest Community Investment Review for 2021/2022, revealing a breakdown of its donation to Irish communities in the last year.

This funding has helped support local groups, sports organisations and schools among others to develop their facilities with energy efficiency and sustainability upgrades as well as social and environmental projects that enable community development. It is the largest-ever yearly investment made by SSE Renewables into local communities from its wind farms.

Through its annual Community Fund programme which was established in 2003, SSE Renewables has awarded over €10 million so far to 4,000 community based projects that are located closest to its wind farms. The Galway Wind Park Scholarship Fund has provided 14 scholarships for 2021/21, and 65 scholarships awarded since the launch of the programme in 2019 to local young people living near Galway Wind Park, Ireland's largest onshore wind farm.

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This funding is awarded to community groups near SSE Renewables' wind farms that are located in Cork, Cavan, Donegal, Wexford, Monaghan, Sligo, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary and Galway.

SSE Renewables provides voluntary funding every year to community groups in the vicinity of its wind farms in support of energy efficiency, safety and sustainability projects as well as social and environmental projects to enable community development.

The focus and priority for SSE Renewables this year has been on delivering positive impact to rural communities, supporting their ability to successfully respond to emerging priorities such as the climate emergency and to support communities recovering from the impact of the pandemic and listen to their needs and challenges post-Covid to adapt the funds to facilitate such needs.

Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director of SSE Renewables said: "Our community benefit funds continue to support numerous communities across Ireland and demonstrates our continued commitment to the local communities around our wind farms. Since the administration of our first community benefit fund in Ireland in 2003, we have grown to now administering over 20 community funds annually with a value of €1m per year. It is inspiring to see our funding help bring to life so many important and innovative community projects across the country."