Investment

Scottish & Southern Energy PLC 22 October 2007 SCOTTISH AND SOUTHERN ENERGY £6MILLION INVESTMENT IN VITAL ENERGI UTILITIES Scottish and Southern Energy plc ('SSE') has today entered into an agreement with Vital Energi Utilities Ltd, where SSE will invest £6million for a 30% share of the business. Vital Energi is an established energy services contractor that specialises in the design, supply and installation of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and District Heating systems in the commercial, industrial and residential sectors. A typical CHP scheme generates electricity through the combustion of natural gas, landfill gas or biomass and then supplies the electricity and 'waste' heat to a local community. SSE recently reached an agreement with Berkeley Homes (East Thames) Ltd, to provide the energy services requirements for their major development, The Warren, in south east London. Under the ESCO Agreement, SSE will be responsible for installing an energy centre, including a CHP plant, which will serve over 450 apartments, a nursery unit, primary care trust and commercial units. SSE will also undertake all associated heat, electricity and gas infrastructure, metering and billing customer services, long-term operations and maintenance services and all fuel procurement requirements. Vital Energi is SSE's main contractor on this development and is responsible for all elements relating to the installation of the required energy centre and the heat distribution network. Ian Marchant, SSE Chief Executive, said: 'Our investment in Vital Energi demonstrates our commitment to providing sustainable solutions for our customers throughout the UK and supports our existing Energy Services business. We believe that towns and cities can play a significant role in fighting climate change, through the use of more efficient community heating projects which can also generate electricity. In locations with high heat demand density and smaller property sizes, community heating with CHP is likely to be one of the most effective and economic ways to deliver Carbon savings.' Vital Energi owner and Chief Executive, Gary Fielding, sees great potential for his business in partnering with SSE. 'This is a very positive move forward for Vital Energi and will allow us to build from our existing position as the leading provider of community energy solutions in the UK.' -ends- This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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