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Reporting
As a responsible company, SSE aims to be as transparent as possible. Below you can access reports which detail the contribution SSE is making to society, the environment and the economy.
Sustainability reporting
Environment
SSE’s Environment Strategy outlines Group-wide goals across three priority areas which represent the most material areas of environmental impact for SSE’s activities. Like SSE’s business strategy, the Environment Strategy is aligned to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which focus SSE’s efforts for environmental improvement on the areas that have been identified as key for sustainable development. These areas are:
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Climate change
CDP’s Climate Change programme requests information on the management of climate-related risks and low-carbon opportunities from over 12,000 of the world's largest companies, on behalf of more than 590 investors with over US$110 trillion in assets. In 2021, SSE were awarded an ‘A’ grade, improving on the ‘A-’ received in 2020. SSE’s leadership in climate-related disclosure is demonstrated by its inclusion on the CDP’s A-List, which recognises the world’s leading companies based on their level of transparency and performance on climate change. SSE is one of around 200 companies worldwide which achieved an ‘A’ grade, placing the company in the top 2% of all scored companies. SSE’s CDP Climate Change submission 2020/21. SSE’s CDP Climate Submission 2019/20. |
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Water
CDP’s Water programme requests information from companies about their water management on behalf of more than 590 investors with over US$110 trillion in assets.
For its environmental performance during 2020/21, SSE was awarded a score of B through the CDP Water programme.
SSE’s CDP Water submission 2020/21.
SSE's CDP Water submission 2019/20.
 | SSE’s Biodiversity Report 2020 highlights the work SSE has undertaken in calendar year 2020 to protect nature and restore it. You can access previous reports at the links below: |
SSE issued its fourth green bond of £500m in March 2021. This, in addition to SSE’s inaugural €600m Green Bond issued in September 2017 followed by a €650m Green Bond in September 2018 and £350m Green Bond in September 2019, means SSE continues to be the largest issuer of Green Bonds in the UK corporate sector. The proceeds from all four of SSE’s Green Bonds were directly allocated to the refinancing of eligible green projects listed in the Green Bond Frameworks, and therefore fully employed at settlement. A commitment was given to update investors each year on the allocation of proceeds and environmental impact from the Bond. SSE’s Green Bond reports are detailed below, along with PwC LLP’s independent assurance of allocation to specific eligible green projects. |  |
SSE’s stakeholders are keen to understand the resilience of its business to the impacts of climate change. To provide enhanced disclosure, SSE has assessed the resilience of SSE’s gas businesses to different climate-related scenarios in its ‘Transition to net zero’ report. This builds on the earlier work SSE did in its ‘Post Paris’ report, published in July 2017, which modelled the company's resilience to the decarbonisation of the electricity industry in Great Britain, against three different warming scenarios. |  |
A number of SSE’s stakeholders seek increased transparency around its polices and advocacy on climate change. SSE has undertaken a thorough review of its trade association memberships during 2020/21 to ensure that the policy positions of the organisations it is part of are aligned with its own on climate change. The results show that of the 20 trade associations which were in scope, 19 were aligned and only one was partially aligned. You can find the full review, alongside the scope and methodology, below.
Trade Associations Climate Review 2020/21
Trade Associations Climate Review – scope and methodology
| SSE announced its long-term goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 2040 (subject to security of supply requirements) and for remaining scope 3 emissions by 2050. These net zero ambitions are supported by our interim science-based targets aligned to a 1.5oC pathway. SSE’s Net Zero Transition Plan clearly sets out for our stakeholders the key actions we will take to drive progress towards these targets. |  |
Social
Inclusion and Diversity Report 2022
 | Reflecting its increased strategic focus on driving greater inclusion and diversity across the business and supply chain, this is SSE’s most comprehensive Inclusion and Diversity Report, providing detailed information on SSE’s Inclusion and Diversity Strategy, progress made, and key performance indicators for 2021/22 (which covers the period 1 April 2021 - 31 March 2022). Transparent reporting is a key component of improving inclusion and diversity and allows SSE to share learnings, as well as gain feedback from key stakeholders. |
SSE's UK gender pay gap
SSE First published its UK Gender Pay Gap in June 2016 following the UK Government regulatory requirements. In 2021, for the first time, SSE published its Gender Pay Gap in Ireland voluntarily (please see Sustainability Report 2022).
Both the UK and Irish Gender Pay Gap calculations follow the UK Government statutory reporting methodology, calculating the Mean and Media Gender Pay Gap and Mean and Median bonus pay gap for its legal entities with over 250 employees.
For reports between 2016 -2020, please see the relevant sustainability report in the section at the top of this page.
Ethnicity pay gap
In January 2019, SSE submitted its response to the UK Government’s consultation on ethnicity pay reporting. Read the full response here.
Hampton Alexander
The Hampton-Alexander Review on gender balance in FTSE leadership, set out in Reports in 2016 and 2017, builds on the success of the voluntary business-led approach of the Davies Review for Women on Boards. It has set a target for 33% of Executive Committees and their Direct Reports in FTSE 350 companies to be women by 2020.
The energy sector must overcome a legacy of industry and societal factors to improve the gender imbalance in leadership positions. SSE is therefore not in a position, immediately, to sign up to the Hampton-Alexander recommendations. We have, however, outlined a comprehensive response to the Review and have set ourselves a series of important ambitions for women at senior leadership level at SSE. Those ambitions, while not reaching the levels Hampton-Alexander propose, represent a significant development for the company. Please click here to read SSE’s full response to Hampton-Alexander which sets out our approach and actions to meet our targets.
Social mobility and valuing difference
 | SSE is working with the Social Mobility Pledge on how to tackle the opportunity gap. As a large UK employer, SSE is supporting a green recovery by boosting jobs and opportunities, and supporting a diverse range of people to join the industry and have meaningful careers. This report has been produced by the Social Mobility Pledge. It details how SSE is working to reduce the opportunity gap in the UK and Ireland through its existing social mobility initiatives and is committed to further action in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. SSE is a signatory to the Social Mobility Pledge and the C-19 Business Pledge. |
 | SSE has published its Just Transition strategy which aims to help to protect workers and communities as the UK transitions out of a high-carbon world and towards net zero. The strategy consists of SSE’s 20 principles for a Just Transition, which outline SSE’s approach to address the social implications of delivering net zero; from jobs and training, to working with communities and ensuring no one is left behind. Following on from SSE’s Just Transition Strategy, in September 2021 SSE published a new report focused on moving from principles to action in order to support workers transition from high to low-carbon careers. The report outlines 20 commitments from SSE, 10 recommendations for industry and 10 recommendations for government. |
Community investment reviews | SSE Renewables
SSE Renewables commit to reporting on every project which receives a donation from our community funds and we annually publish Community Investment Reviews which highlight how the support from wind farms is helping power local change across the UK and Ireland.
In 2020/21 our community funds in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland delivered over £10m in grants to community projects, helping over 1,023 not-for-profit organisations realise their ambitions. In the reviews you can read about the transformational projects making a real difference in their local area.
Economic
Produced by PwC on behalf of SSE, the FY22 report estimates that SSE’s activities contributed £5.8bn to UK GDP in 2021/22 which supported 45,290 UK jobs. Within Ireland, €438m was contributed by SSE to GDP and 1,840 jobs were supported in 2021/22. This is the 11th year of SSE calculating its economic contribution to the UK and Ireland, with PwC analysis showing that it has contributed around £100bn (in current prices) across these economies over the last decade.
FY22 - UK, Scotland and Republic of Ireland
FY21 - UK, Scotland and Republic of Ireland
FY20 - UK, Scotland and Republic of Ireland
FY19 - UK, Scotland and Republic of Ireland
FY18 - UK, Scotland and Republic of Ireland
FY17 - UK, Scotland and Republic of Ireland
FY16 - UK, Scotland and Republic of Ireland
FY15 - UK, Scotland and Republic of Ireland
FY14 - UK, Scotland and Northern Ireland
TALKING TAX 2021SSE’s Talking Tax 2021 booklet offers increased transparency and explanation of SSE’s tax disclosure for financial year 2020/21. The report provides a clear and accessible account of what taxes SSE pays and where, and is designed to be accessible to non-tax specialists. In 2020/21, SSE’s total tax contribution to the UK and Ireland was just under £1bn, inclusive of the taxes it pays and collects on behalf of Government. The report also presents SSE's Tax Strategy in detail. You can read the 2021 report in full here. Previous reports are available to view at the links below: |  |
Socio-economic and impact studies
This report, published April 2021 by SSE Renewables, shows that our Strathy North, Achany, Gordonbush and Gordonbush Extension wind farms in Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland are expected to contribute £485 million to the UK economy, throughout their development, construction and operational life. £327 million of that money is expected to be contributed to the Scottish economy with the Scottish Highlands benefitting from £131 million during the lifetime of the four projects. This analysis for the report was provided by leading economic consultancy, BiGGAR Economics. Read the April 2021 socio-economic report here. Read the December 2020 BiGGAR Economics report, including the full methodology for the economic contribution calculation, here. |  |
BEATRICE: SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS AND LEARNINGS
Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited is Scotland's second largest offshore wind farm and a joint venture partnership between SSE Renewables (40%), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (35%) and Red Rock Power Limited (25%) with development, construction and now operation led by SSE Renewables on behalf of the partnership.
In July 2019, SSE Renewables published a report which describes the socio-economic benefits of Beatrice as a result of its development, onshore construction, offshore construction and operations and maintenance, with analysis undertaken by BiGGAR Economics, and is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the economic impact of the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm. It found the development, construction and 25-year lifetime operation of Beatrice is expected to generate £2.4bn of value for the UK economy, of which £1bn is expected to be in Scotland. The report also includes additional detail in relation to each of the phases of project delivery, including a number of case studies and key learnings for the future. It updates socio-economic analysis previously published in 2017.
- Read the July 2019 socio-economic report here.
- Read the July 2019 BiGGAR Economics report, including the full methodology for the economic contribution calculation, here.
July 2017 socio-economic report
In 2019, BiGGAR Economics was commissioned by SSE Renewables to undertake a socio-economic impact assessment of Strathy North Wind Farm. This study quantified the economic impact of Strathy North wind farm and reviewed the community benefit associated with the wind farm.
During the development and construction of Strathy North Wind Farm, it was estimated that companies and organisations in Scotland secured contracts worth £59.4 million. The area is expected to secure £100.6 million in OPEX contracts over the wind farm’s operational lifetime (£4.0 million annually). Overall the expenditure, including decommissioning, secured in Scotland is expected to be £165.0 million, or 73% of TOTEX.
Read the full BiGGAR Economics report here.
SSE Renewables commissioned BiGGAR Economics to undertake analysis of four assets in the Great Glen area of northern Scotland: Glendoe hydro station, Dunmaglass onshore wind farm, Bhlaraidh onshore wind farm and Stronelairg onshore wind farm.
The analysis showed that together these four projects are expected to generate over £1.2bn of value for the Scottish economy during their lifetime. Of this, £360m of value will be felt directly in the Great Glen, which will see 130 jobs supported by the projects annually during their operation. A further 250 jobs across Scotland are expected to be supported by the operation of these projects.
| Renewable energy has always been at the core of SSE’s strategy and for the past 15 years. SSE has been a leading player in the UK’s offshore wind industry. In that time, SSE has proven its ability to deliver industry leading offshore wind projects including the development, construction and operation of Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm and, come spring 2019, the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm. This report explores the contributions SSE’s made, and continues to make, in the UK and Ireland. |  |
| In the ten years between March 2008 and March 2018 SSE’s onshore wind capacity increased three-fold. SSE’s expansion of its onshore wind portfolio in the UK and Ireland has delivered clean, low-carbon electricity, important investment in the UK, Scottish and Irish economies, and good quality jobs, many of which are located in areas where economic activity tends to be low. This report explores the contributions SSE’s decade of clean growth has made, and continues to make, in the UK and Ireland. The methodology document can be viewed here. |  |
Archive
- Galway wind park sustainability impact report
- Caithness-Moray impact study (2016)
- District heating impact study (2016)
- Keadby wind farm Sustainability impact report (2016)
- The economic contribution of the Clyde Extension wind farm construction project (2016)
- The economic impact of SSE’s supply chain Living Wage commitment (2015)
 | Be the Difference Annual Review 2016/17 – SSE Ireland SSE Ireland’s latest annual review of its employee volunteering programme, Be the Difference. The review looks back on the volunteering and fundraising activities of SSE’s employees across the island of Ireland during financial year 2016/17. It was another impressive year of employee volunteering at SSE Ireland, with 455 days – equivalent to €130,000 in working hours - donated to 49 different charities and community groups. |
 | Be the Difference Annual Review 2015/16 – SSE Ireland The review looks back on the volunteering and fundraising activities of SSE’s employees across the island of Ireland during financial year 2015/16. It was another impressive year of employee volunteering at SSE Ireland, with 490 days – equivalent to a 55% staff participation rate – donated to 51 different charities and community groups. |