SSE's core purpose is to provide energy to people reliably and sustainably. Its strategy is to deliver sustained real growth in dividends to shareholders through efficiently operating and investing in a balanced portfolio of regulated and non-regulated energy and utility businesses mainly in the UK and Ireland. SSE recognizes the need to reward shareholders for their investment through paying dividends, which provides the biggest source of return over the long term and income for shareholders not reinvesting.

2. “Ourcorepurposeis to providetheenergy
peopleneedin areliableandsustainable
way; andourstrategyis to deliversustained
real growthin thedividendpayableto
shareholders throughtheefficient operation
of, andinvestment in, abalancedrangeof
regulatedandnon-regulatedenergyand
utilitybusinesses.”
http://www.scottish-southern.co.uk/aboutus

3. PURPOSE, STRATEGY AND
PRINCIPLES.
SSE's core purpose is to provide the energy people
need in a reliable and sustainable way.
Its strategy is to deliversustained real growth
in the dividend payable to shareholders
This willbe achie ve d thro ug h e fficie nt o pe ratio n o f, and
inve stm e nt in, a balance d rang e o f e co no m ically-
re g ulate d and m arke t-base d busine sse s in e ne rg y
pro ductio n, sto rag e , distributio n, supply and re late d
se rvice s, m ainly in the UK and Ire land.

4. SSE's strategy clearly recognises that shareholders need to be
rewarded for their investment, and it believes that paying
dividends is the best means of doing this, for four key reasons:
The biggest source of an investor's return over the long term is
receiving and reinvesting dividends .
For those investors who don’t wish to reinvest , dividends provide them
income.
dividend targets provide a transparent means with which to hold
management to account; and
a long-term commitment to dividend growth demands a disciplined,
consistent and long-term approach to operations, investment and
acquisitions.

5. Taken from: http://investorcentre.scottish-southern.co.uk/pdf/SSE_H1_2010_Results_Final.pdf