SSE Renewables
SSE Renewables is the renewables-focused business unit of SSE plc, a FTSE 100-listed energy company headquartered in Perth, Scotland, responsible for developing and operating a portfolio of wind, hydro, solar photovoltaic, and battery storage assets primarily in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with emerging international activities. Established to consolidate SSE's renewable operations, it manages around 5 gigawatts (GW) of net operational capacity as of March 2025, encompassing over 2.5 GW of onshore wind, significant hydro installations dating back to the 1930s, and major offshore wind contributions.[1][2][3] The division has pioneered renewable energy projects in the region, with early hydro developments like the Rannoch Power Station operational since 1930 and wind initiatives from the early 2000s, evolving into flagship endeavors such as the Seagreen offshore wind farm (1,075 MW, Scotland's largest) and the Beatrice array (588 MW). SSE Renewables holds stakes in the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, the world's largest planned offshore project at 3.6 GW, set for full completion by 2026, alongside a development pipeline exceeding 17 GW that includes pumped hydro storage like Coire Glas and recent onshore additions such as the 101 MW Yellow River wind farm in Ireland.[1][4][5] Despite its growth and contributions to low-carbon generation—accounting for 13.2 terawatt-hours of SSE's output in fiscal year 2024/2025—SSE Renewables has faced scrutiny over strategic decisions, including activist investor campaigns from Elliott Management urging a spin-off of the unit for enhanced value and recent 2025 announcements of scaled-back capital expenditure on new renewables (by approximately £3 billion through 2030), job reductions affecting over 200 positions, and revised targets that may hinder UK net-zero ambitions. These moves, attributed to supply chain delays, market pressures, and profitability optimization, have elicited union condemnations as profit-driven amid the division's operational success.[6][7][8][9]