Scottish and Southern Energy plc

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Scottish & Southern Energy plc
Type	Public
Founded	1998
Headquarters	Perth, Scotland
Key people	Ian Marchant (CEO)
Industry	gas and electricity supply
Products	gas and electricity
Revenue	£10,145.2 million GBP (2006)
Operating income	£986.3 million GBP (2006)
Net income	£642.3 million GBP (2006)
Employees	11,755 (2006)
Website	www.scottish-southern.co.uk

Scottish & Southern Energy plc (SSE) is an energy company formed in 1998 following a merger of equals between Scottish Hydro-Electric plc and Southern Electric plc. Its headquarters are located in Perth, Scotland.

Contents 1 Description 2 Green energy 3 References 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Description

The company is the third largest supplier of Electricity and Natural gas in the United Kingdom. It incorporates the companies SWALEC, Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro-Electric, Atlantic Electric and Gas. It also owns Southern Electric Power Distribution, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution, Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission and 50% of Scotia Gas Networks. Its subsidiaries are organized into the main businesses of generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity; storage and supply of gas; electrical and utility contracting, and domestic appliance retailing and telecoms. SSE also has an equity interest of 50% in, and provides corporate and management services to Scotia Gas Networks, which owns Southern Gas Networks and Scotland Gas Networks. Its contracting business has five main areas of activity: industrial, commercial and domestic, mechanical and electrical contracting; data communications; high-voltage design and maintenance; electrical and instrumentation engineering, and public and highway lighting. SSE's telecoms business comprises SSE Telecom and Neos Networks.

[edit] Green energy

According to their 2006 Corporate Report, SSE is the largest generator of electricity from renewable sources in the UK. In 2004/2005, 7.5% of the electricity it supplied was from renewables compared with the UK average of 3.8%.^[1] In the same period, however, The Ecologist magazine,^[2] criticised SSE for promoting itself as a green energy supplier, while the company had spent virtually nothing on the construction of new renewable energy generation during 2004. The situation was improved in August 2004, when SSE obtained consent for developments at Artfield Fell, Dumfries and Galloway and at Hardyard Hill, Ayrshire. Both of these developments have been completed adding 140 MW to SSE's renewable energy output. Although the bulk of the renewable energy sources operated by SSE are pre-privatisation hydro-electric stations, a major scheme is now under construction at Glendoe, Inverness-shire. Scope for further hydro-electric projects in Scotland is limited.

[edit] References

1. ^ Scottish and Southern Energy Corporate Report, 2006 (audited by ERM)
2. ^ "Green Electricity… Are you being conned?", The Ecologist, June 1, 2005.

[edit] See also

• Energy policy of the United Kingdom
• Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom

[edit] External links

• Scottish and Southern Energy plc (official site)
• Ecologist article on "green" energy
• Scottish and Southern Energy's fuel mix for 2006