Leading renewables developer OnPath Energy is progressing its plans to invest around £1 billion in Southern Scotland over the next five years by partnering with Wilson Forest Products on three new onshore wind farms in South Lanarkshire.
OnPath has entered into an option agreement with the family-owned Scottish firm for the Bankend Rig II, Bankend Rig III and Hawkwood Wind Farm projects.
The two companies have previously worked together on the development of OnPath’s nearby Mill Rig Wind Farm, which is adjacent to the three projects and expected to be fully operational later this year.
The option agreement gives OnPath Energy the right, subject to certain project milestones and conditions being achieved, to acquire a majority stake in the three projects.
The three wind farms include a total of 18 turbines with a combined capacity of 121MW, which is enough to meet the annual electricity needs of around 150,000 homes.
Planning consents for the Bankend Rig II and Bankend Rig III Wind Farms were secured by Wilson Forest Products in 2025, with the Hawkwood Wind Farm proposal recently being approved by South Lanarkshire Council, subject to concluding satisfactory legal agreements.
The three wind farm sites lie to the south west of OnPath Energy’s Kype Muir Wind Farm in South Lanarkshire.
Robin Winstanley, sustainability and community director at OnPath Energy, says: 'These three projects are in an area we know well and are of the highest quality. Together with the excellent Wilson Forest Products team, we have the expertise required to take them on to construction and commissioning. When this agreement is concluded it will take our presence in southern Scotland to over 500MW, which reflects our confidence in the sector and the region as a renewables powerhouse, exporting energy across the UK and generating hundreds of Scottish jobs. New onshore wind farms will create jobs, improve security of energy supply and help reduce consumer electricity bills in the long term. Working together with partners in the region, we will invest hundreds of millions of pounds directly into local communities through the robust supply chain of excellent local businesses.'
Stuart Beattie, director at Wilson Forest Products, adds: 'OnPath Energy is a well-respected renewable energy developer with an impressive track record in Scotland and a clear strategy for increasing its investment in both South Lanarkshire and the wider Scottish economy. We have a long and successful working relationship with the OnPath Energy team, with a proven history of bringing forward successful projects like Middle Muir and Kype Extension Wind Farms. This agreement builds on that success, they know our community well, the additional resources and expertise they will bring to these projects will enable them to be delivered with maximum efficiency.'
OnPath Energy is owned by the world’s largest dedicated transition investor and leading global investment firm Brookfield Asset Management, which has over 46,000 megawatts of operating renewable energy capacity worldwide.
OnPath acquired the Pates Hill Wind Farm in West Lothian last year and is expecting to bring forward several major new development proposals in England this year.
It is also exploring a range of potential new project locations across Scotland, England and Wales as it works towards becoming the UK’s leading renewable energy developer.
Richard Dunkley, CEO at OnPath Energy, says: 'We are making significant investments in high-quality renewable energy infrastructure as we grow in terms of our diversity of projects and technologies, as well as geographically, and have a clear strategy in place for how we will achieve our goals. Alongside developing our own renewable generation projects from first principles, we are also looking to identify other opportunities at every stage of the lifecycle, from pre-construction right through to operational wind farms and project repowering. The one-billion-pound investment in clean energy projects across southern Scotland in the next five years is central to OnPath Energy’s drive towards becoming the UK’s leading renewable energy developer.'
Source: OnPath Energy
