Glen Earrach Energy (GEE) has pledged 5% of gross margin revenues from its proposed pumped storage hydro project to Highland communities.
An annual commitment worth more than £20 million, it will become the UK’s largest community wealth fund linked to clean energy.
The initiative, which will support long-term investment in housing, skills, environmental restoration and wellbeing, has been shaped through extensive local consultation and national polling.
Public opinion strongly supports the move, with 71% of Scots backing community benefit funds and 73% calling for communities to control how funds are spent.
Set to deliver up to 34GWh of long-duration energy storage by 2030, the scheme plays a crucial role in stabilising the transition to net zero.
“The GEE Community Wealth Fund is about more than sharing the benefits of clean energy,” said Roderick MacLeod, Director of Glen Earrach Energy. “It is about creating long-term value for the communities who make this project possible.”
The fund is underpinned by a developer-led research report—the first of its kind in the energy sector—drawing on regional engagement across Glen Urquhart, Stratherrick and Foyers.
GEE is working with Foundation Scotland and the Highland Council to ensure the governance model is “transparent, independent and built for the future.”
Angus MacDonald MP, who represents the project area, welcomed the commitment: “Glen Earrach Energy committing to 5% of gross margin is recognition that communities deserve a meaningful stake in the transition happening around them.”
