How big is the prize?
An estimated £180 million a year in community benefit, owed to North-East Scotland once the current pipeline of windfarms, BESS and transmission infrastructure is in place.
The onshore precedent
Across Scotland, onshore wind operators routinely pay between £5,000 and £7,500 per MW per year into community-benefit funds. It's not a charity grant. It's the going rate.
That precedent is well established, well documented, and operator-accepted. It's the floor, not the ceiling.
Why offshore is different — but doesn't have to be
Offshore developers like to argue that turbines 75 km out at sea have no local impact. We disagree. The cables, substations and onshore works land on our coastline. The political consent that lets these projects exist is granted by people in NE Scotland.
Industry guidance increasingly accepts a contribution of around 0.75% of gross revenue, paid into local communities. That's the working number this site uses.
One gigawatt. Real money.
of installed offshore wind capacity
per year, total NE Scotland community benefit owed at 0.75% of gross (tax deductable)
per year for a single 9-CC charity (typical NE cluster)
The 24 GW pipeline on our doorstep
ScotWind, INTOG, onshore extensions, BESS sites and the new HVDC corridors add up to roughly 24 GW of new infrastructure that touches NE Scotland. At benchmark rates, that is £180m per year in community benefit, every year, for decades.
BESS and transmission also contribute
Battery energy storage operators and the transmission owners building substations and converter stations on our land are increasingly expected to pay community benefit too. NES-CBC will help you press for a fair contribution from all three.
The operator's view
0.75% of gross is a small line item against project economics. It is normally tax-deductible. Set against the cost of a contested consent or a damaged social licence, it is cheap insurance. We make the case in language operators recognise.
Talk to Tony. 20 minutes. No commitment.
We'll explain what's possible for your Community Council and what the next step looks like.
Get in touch with Tony