ScottishPower is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its environmental charity The Green Energy Trust.

Since the Trust was set up, £926,860 has been donated to 91 local renewable energy initiatives UK-wide.

For the last ten years, ScottishPower has been a leading supporter of renewable electricity and has been working with its customers to fund community based projects across the country.

Alison McKean, Head of Environment at ScottishPower, said:

“The ScottishPower Green Fund Option was created to offer our customers a tariff which included a small premium which was then invested in the Green Energy Trust to help finance community projects that use renewable energy.

“We have been amazed at the range – and scale – of the projects we have been able to help over the years. It was really about us doing our bit for the environment and helping our customers to do the same.”

The charity, which aims to help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and combat climate change, can provide up to 50 per cent of the renewable element of the project cost up to a maximum of £25,000.

Alison continued:

“We are absolutely delighted to be able to be here celebrating ten years of the Green Energy Trust. You only have to look at the market place in 2008 to see that environmental awareness features high on the agenda of most companies these days but ScottishPower has been pioneering in the “green” arena for the last decade.

“Of all the utility companies we were actually first to the market with our green tariff and we recognised back then that we had to do our bit to be responsible for the environment.
In fact to ScottishPower green energy really is a piece of cake!”

Issued on behalf of ScottishPower by The BIG Partnership.

For further information on this release please contact:

Kate McCheyne on 0141 333 9585 / 07766076469
Gillian Hamilton on 0141 333 9585 / 07734656676
Ailie Semple on 0141 333 9585 / 07870916308

Notes to editors

• The Scottish Power Green Energy Trust supports the development of new renewable energy sources in the UK. It offers grants and awards for new renewable and educational projects that will lead to an increase in the use and knowledge of renewable energy sources.
• It supports projects that advance renewable energy and that support communities through education and public engagement. Renewable technologies supported so far include small-scale hydro, wind power, biomass, landfill gas, solar energy and ground source heat pumps.
• Every year the trust generates an income of around £150,000 with between £50,000 and £60,000 available at each trustees meeting.
• To date the Fund has donated £926,860 to 91 projects across the country.