SSE:
supporting clean energy investment

Wind farm out at sea
Workman with van

The work

FTSE giant SSE is the UK’s leading electricity infrastructure company. Their work to develop sites like Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore windfarm, is crucial to Britain’s Net Zero ambitions and energy security.

The company faced demands for a windfall tax on electricity generators and a public campaign from one of the world’s largest activist investors, who called for a break-up of the company. During this critical period, our job was to help them focus on delivering for customers, shareholders and the country.

We launched SSE’s £24bn Net Zero Acceleration Plan (“NZAP”), and delivered a long-running media and stakeholder campaign, to position the company as ‘the UK’s clean energy champion’.

We also successfully built an advocacy programme to defend against an activist investor. We focused on the importance of its joined-up business model, harnessing and amplifying support from key influencers including business media commentators, analysts and institutional investors.

Amidst speculation about a windfall tax, we emphasised the threat it posed to long term net zero investment.

We launched SSE’s £24bn Net Zero Acceleration Plan to help deliver a step-change in business media sentiment

Wind farm out at sea

The impact

Strategic communications helped to deliver:

  • A share price increase of over 10% over 12 months, despite choppy markets, the threat posed by an activist investor, and an energy crisis
  • Vocal public support secured from many of the Group’s top 20 institutional investors
  • A step-change in business media sentiment, including from the most prominent commentators in the nationals
    Sustained political support at Cabinet level