Scottish Labour leader and UK Energy Minister visit major Lanarkshire wind farm
Anas Sarwar and Michael Shanks, who is also the Rutherglen MP, were at Kype Muir Wind Farm.
The leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Anas Sarwar, and UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks have visited a pioneering wind farm in South Lanarkshire.
During the trip to OnPath Energy's Kype Muir Wind Farm site, Mr Sarwar and Mr Shanks met with senior representatives from the firm, receiving a tour of the development, learning about the history of the project and the benefits it continues to deliver.
Home to 26 turbines, Kype Muir Wind Farm generates enough renewable energy to power over 63,000 homes annually while providing over £11m in community benefits across its 25-year lifespan.
The project is delivering significant benefits to the surrounding area, with over £700,000 distributed to local communities through the Kype Muir Community Panel Fund (KMCP) as part of its OnPath Together commitment.
Each area is represented by two members on the KMCP panel, ensuring a broad and inclusive approach to decision-making.
The fund was further bolstered with the launch of the Kype Muir Wind Farm Extension developed by OnPath Energy (now owned by funds managed by Schroders Greencoat), which added a further 15 turbines to the overall site taking the lifetime community benefits of both sites to over £21m.
Mr Sarwar said: 'It was fantastic to visit OnPath Energy to see their site at Kype Muir and learn about all the work they do.
'Businesses like OnPath are at the cutting edge of the transition to clean energy and have a vital role to play in delivering energy security and driving down bills.
'Scottish Labour will work hand in hand with companies like OnPath and the UK government to put Scotland at the heart of the energy transition.'
After Kype Muir Wind Farm became the first project in the UK to secure consent for 132-meter turbines, OnPath Energy launched in 2019, the Kype Muir Community Partnership (KMCP) which was established to ensure nearby communities benefit directly from the wind farm's success.
The initiative has proven highly effective, empowering five local community council areas to reinvest a share of the revenue into projects that are tailored to local issues and identified by local people. The purpose is to make community-driven action facilitate long-lasting benefits for the community's surrounding the projects. In addition, the community fund supported a jobs and skills collaboration with South Lanarkshire Council which has supported over 2000 people into employment or education.
Notably, in collaboration with NATS, OnPath Energy (then Banks Renewables) funded a new radar system in 2019 for Glasgow Airport, which enabled the development of not only Kype Muir Wind Farm, it also unlocked £500m worth of development in the area from other projects.
Kype Muir Wind Farm was also the first onshore wind site to benefit from the UK Governments Contract for Difference having taken part in Auction Round 1.
Mr Shanks, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy and MP for Rutherglen, said: 'OnPath Energy is leading the way in green energy and it was an honour to meet with them and learn more about the project's they lead.
'The Labour Government is committed to delivering the clean energy of the future and the jobs Scotland needs. '
Gordon Thomson, projects director at OnPath Energy said: 'It's been a pleasure to welcome Mr Sarwar and Mr Shanks to Kype Muir Wind Farm today and to share with them the story of a project that has come to symbolise what's possible in Scotland's transition to renewable energy.
'We set out with the vision to create something special here, and since going operational, Kype Muir has done just that, generating clean energy, creating local jobs, and delivering meaningful support through the KMCP.
'In addition to this, the launch of Kype Muir Extension was a huge moment for the renewables sector in Scotland, not just in terms of the scale and ambition of the engineering involved, but also in how it set a new benchmark for community involvement and benefit.
'These two sites have empowered communities to lead the way in identifying and funding local priorities, and we're incredibly proud of the lasting positive impact this model continues to have.'
The original Kype Muir Wind Farm alone is expected to generate a lifetime local spend of approximately £123 million.
Reflecting OnPath's ongoing commitment to supporting the local economy, local contractors were also prioritised throughout the construction and delivery of the Kype Muir Extension.
Combined, both projects will contribute an estimated £188 million to the Scottish economy, with £159 million of that investment within a 60km radius of the site.
Robin Winstanley, sustainability and community director said: 'Onshore wind is the clear winner of any energy generation project when it comes to delivering social and economic value for communities in Scotland, with over 60% of the lifetime spend within 40 miles of the sites.
'We firmly believe that renewable energy must also empower people and communities.
'Through our OnPath Together commitment, we're ensuring that our developments create long-lasting, tangible value for those who live and work closest to them.
'This includes shared community ownership, education bursaries, real living wage jobs, and £5,000 per MW of installed capacity as a baseline community benefit.
'It also means prioritising local contractors to stimulate regional economies and delivering nature-positive solutions that restore and enhance biodiversity.'
Together, Kype Muir and Kype Muir Extension will generate over 155MW of renewable electricity annually, enough to power more than 123,000 homes, equivalent to a city larger than Aberdeen.
They are set to displace around 307,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year, the equivalent of removing approximately 30,700 petrol cars from the road.
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