ONSHORE wind developers, East Ayrshire Council’s economic development service, the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and local businesses met recently to advance the £2 billion investment opportunity presented by onshore wind projects in the region over the next five years.
Local renewable energy developer OnPath Energy hosted the East Ayrshire Developer Forum which aims to strengthen collaboration and increase the economic benefit opportunities in the local supply chain from planned investment.
The event marks a joint commitment between the development community and the public sector to improve coordination, visibility and planning around upcoming onshore wind projects. It comes after recommendations made in the Scottish Government’s Onshore Wind Sector Deal facilitating local contractors, suppliers and training establishments to prepare in advance and compete for contracts with confidence.
A study undertaken by BIGGAR Economics found that onshore wind projects in the East Ayrshire pipeline over the next five years could deliver a £2 billion investment in the local economy.
Robin Winstanley, sustainability and marketing director at OnPath Energy said, “Over the last 20 years we’ve seen first-hand the benefits onshore wind brings for local businesses and communities. The independent analysis undertaken by BIGGAR demonstrates the huge scale of the opportunity and what can be achieved with public and private sector collaboration.
“This unique, proactive and collaborative approach ensures that we turn investment into opportunity for local businesses maximising the benefits we can all deliver for the East Ayrshire economy whilst delivering on the aims of Scottish Government’s onshore wind sector deal.”
Future ambitions of the group include joint meet-the-buyer events and closer working with other partners including the Distribution Network Operator’s (DNO) to support phasing and coordination in construction.
