Scottish Government community benefits events
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 25th February 2026
The Scottish Government is holding a series of events to explore new policy proposals around community benefits for renewable energy.
Community benefits schemes are additional, voluntary funds that renewable energy developers make available to communities, enabling them to share in the benefits that projects bring.
Last year, Scottish Government held a consultation, supported in part by SCDC, on the Good Practice Principles for these funds. We heard from communities about their experiences and responded to the consultation by stating that communities should have a significant say in how these funds are used.
This new working paper has a series of proposals as a result of this consultation, including increases in per megawatt payment amounts and additional guidance and support to communities.
Scottish Government is now running a series of regional sessions for people involved in delivering or managing community benefit schemes to share their thoughts on the new proposals.
There is also an opportunity to submit responses in writing.
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