The Hoprigshiels wind farm in Berwickshire will supply electricity to the national grid for 25 years
Work has begun on a wind farm that developers say will help finance the building of 500 new social homes in the Borders.
The Hoprigshiels wind farm in Berwickshire will comprise three 2.5MW wind turbines that will supply electricity to the national grid over a period of 25 years.
Revenues from the sale of power will be used to finance affordable housing in the area and fund community initiatives suggested by local residents.
Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA) and Community Energy Scotland (CES) are backing the project, which is expected to begin operating by the end of the year.
Significant social and economic outputs will be achieved using the surpluses from the scheme and, importantly, all the income from this project will be used for social or charitable purposes
Helen Forsyth, chief executive of BHA, said she was “delighted” to see construction begin.
She added: “The revenue generated by the wind farm will enable the Association to build around 20 homes a year for the next 25 years.
“Working with an experienced community wind farm developer like Community Energy Scotland has been a great experience for us and we couldn’t have done this without them.”
CES chief executive Nicholas Gubbins said: “Having helped many community groups install their own renewable energy projects over the last eight years, it’s fantastic that we now have our own project under way – and it’s even better that we have done this in partnership with another like-minded charity.”
The project has been financed by Triodos Bank and the Scottish Investment Bank’s Renewable Energy Investment Fund (REIF).
Andrew Smith, REIF head, said: “This is exactly the type of project REIF was set up to support. This is a strong commercial investment opportunity allowing REIF to help deliver a project of significant scale.
“Significant social and economic outputs will be achieved using the surpluses from the scheme and, importantly, all the income from this project will be used for social or charitable purposes.”
