Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate his Department has made of the amount of community benefits paid to a) the United Kingdom, b) Scotland and c) the Scottish Highlands in 2025.

Using the Scottish Register of Community Benefits and Shared Ownership, DESNZ estimates that the amount of community benefits paid in Scotland was approximately £30 million in 2025 of which £7 million was paid to communities in the Scottish Highlands. Community benefits were calculated by applying the £/MW benefit rate to the capacity of each operational project and aggregating the results by area.

We are unable to provide a figure for the United Kingdom as there is no UK-wide equivalent register. We recently consulted on changes to how community benefits are managed in the UK to ensure communities receive a fair benefit for hosting nationally important infrastructure. We will publish our response in due course.