Scottish Renewables has urged the Scottish Government to adopt a tailored approach to community benefits from renewable energy developments to ensure they deliver a lasting strategic legacy for local areas.

Responding to a public consultation on the issue, the industry body advocated for flexibility in future arrangements to protect local decision-making and the economic viability of different renewable energy technologies.

The Scottish Government is currently seeking to update guidance and best practice for community benefits arising from clean energy projects. Since 1990, renewable energy developers in Scotland have invested over £200 million in community benefits, with more than £30 million awarded in the past year, predominantly from onshore wind farms.

These funds are supporting a wide range of local initiatives, from energy efficiency measures to skills development. Community benefit funding from onshore wind projects is projected to reach nearly £90 million annually by 2033, while new transmission infrastructure in the north of Scotland is expected to generate over £100 million.

Scottish Renewables believes that communities hosting clean energy infrastructure should receive tangible benefits, largely realised through economic growth. An analysis of two Highland wind farms indicated that every £1 of community benefit funding generated approximately £4.18 in local economic value. The economic impact of the onshore wind supply chain has been found to be six times greater than the value of community benefits, and new estimates suggest that local supply chain growth from offshore wind could be worth £34 billion for Scotland if planned projects proceed.

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Key recommendations from Scottish Renewables to the Scottish Government include:

• Maintaining the Good Practice Principles for onshore wind farms at £5,000 per installed megawatt (MW) per year.

• Enabling Good Practice Principles for solar farms above 5MW at £400 per MW installed capacity for the lifetime of a project.

• Allowing offshore wind developers to determine bespoke community benefit arrangements using Good Practice Principles designed collaboratively with the industry.

• Strengthening all Good Practice Principles by providing guidance on capacity-building and ensuring reporting is not overly bureaucratic for local communities.

• Designing a community information initiative outlining the likely parameters and economic realities for community investment or shared ownership schemes.

Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, commented: "As our clean energy transition gathers pace it is important to ensure a lasting strategic legacy is secured for Scotland. Delivering our pipeline of projects will provide a significant boost to the economy, bringing benefits to the whole country through high-value jobs, supply chain growth and inward investment. Scotland's renewable energy industry is proud of its positive record to date on local community benefit funding which is delivered on an unrivalled scale. We want to find innovative ways to build on this, but that is only possible if the projects expected to provide transformational funds are economically viable. We strongly encourage the Scottish Government to take the holistic view that energy policy requires in its approach to community benefits. Local needs vary as do the economic realities of individual technologies, so tailored guidance is essential for keeping projects viable and communities empowered. Above all, we must not lose sight of the positive value generated for local communities through job creation and the security of more affordable clean energy. Scottish Renewables stands ready to work with the government to responsibly design community benefit funding that moves society and industry forward together."