SSE can trace its heritage back to the advent of electricity generation in the north of Scotland almost 80 years ago, with its origins in two public sector electricity supply authorities.
The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was the first to deliver electricity to the Highlands, following its formation with the Hydro Electric Development Act in 1943.
Hydro dams and power stations were built across this uniquely positioned but challenging terrain, dramatically improving lives across the region.
Bringing electricity to remoter parts of Scotland was no easy feat, with works at St Fillans grinding their way through 557ft of rock in just one week and setting a world tunnelling record in 1955. By the mid-1960s, Scotland boasted 56 dams connected by over 600km of rock tunnel, aqueducts and pipelines.
In the south, the former Southern Electricity Board was created in 1948 to distribute and supply electricity in southern England.
Both organisations were privatised with the deregulation of energy in the 1990s. And in 1998 they merged to form SSE plc, one of the largest energy businesses in Great Britain, serving millions of domestic energy customers and operating the electricity networks across both regions.
In 2008, SSE acquired Airtricity, an Irish wind farm business, doubling renewables capacity to become the largest operator in the UK and Ireland.
In 2020, we sold our GB electricity supply business to OVO Energy to focus on our core businesses of electricity networks and renewables, with complementary interests supporting the transition to a net zero world.
SSE is now the largest renewable energy generator in the UK and Ireland, in keeping with our predecessors’ historic aim to provide safe and reliable electricity for all.
And today SSE Energy Solutions serves over 500,000 business customers across the UK, from sole traders to city councils and large corporations. Our aim is to decarbonise Britain one business at a time – to help your business grow on the road to net zero.
SSE Energy Solutions – providing the energy needed today while building a better world of energy for tomorrow.