Green Cat Renewables (GCR) was engaged by Berwickshire Community Renewables (BCR) to provide development support during the build-out phase of the Hoprigshiels Wind Farm, acting as Client’s Engineer.
The Hoprigshiels Wind Farm project is a joint venture between two charities: Community Energy Scotland (CES) and Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA) who came together to form BCR.
BHA identified that in order to solve the shortage of social housing stock in Berwickshire, they would have to take an innovative approach. In looking at ways to address the issue, BHA embarked on developing the Hoprigshiels wind project – a project located within the local community, to serve the local community. BHA will use the project revenues to build 500 affordable homes in Berwickshire over 25 years – making it the first wind farm in the UK to use project revenues to build social housing. CES are planning to use the revenues they receive from the project to reinvest and support community projects across Scotland.
GCR’s sister companies, Prelec and Green Cat Contracting, constructed the civil and electrical enabling works for the project including: turbine foundations, roads, substation buildings and all internal electrical infrastructure between the turbines and substation.
The project was successfully commissioned in March 2017, ahead of the closure of the ROC programme. The three turbine project is expected to generate just under 25,000MWh annually, enough energy to power around 5,900 households.
