The developers behind an electricity superhighway connecting the north east and Norway are calling on local people this week to apply for funding from a new community investment fund.
NorthConnect, the 655km subsea interconnector, is setting up the £10,000 Legacy Fund, to be administered by Foundation Scotland, for the benefit of people in Boddam, Longhaven, Cruden Bay, Peterhead, St Fergus, Mintlaw, Burnhaven, Hatton and the surrounding areas.
Richard Blanchfield , the Deputy Project Manager at NorthConnect, said: “NorthConnect has established the £10,000 NorthConnect Legacy Fund to support local causes. We hope it will have a lasting benefit for local people so we’re really pleased to get the fund up and running.
“NorthConnect will also benefit the whole of Scotland. Once operational in 2021, it will help bring down the cost of electricity for the British consumer and at the same time enable the development of more renewable electricity capacity in Scotland.”
The fund will distribute £10,000 initially and will be managed by Foundation Scotland, an independent Scottish grant-making charity. The closing date for this round of applications is 13 October 2017, with awards to be made in late November. Local groups can apply for up to £1,500 each. A second investment of £10,000 is to be made in 2018.
If given the go ahead, the strategically important interconnector will have a capacity of 1400MW, will be approximately 655km in length and will allow electricity to be traded between UK, Norway, and continental Europe. The interconnector will be routed from Simadalen in Norway, across the North Sea to Long Haven Bay, just south of Peterhead.