As responsible developers, we strive to be good neighbours in all aspects of our work. We are committed to the South Ayrshire area and - in particular - to maximising opportunities for local communities to benefit from our projects.
We are proud to be supporting local communities and helping them to deliver their long-term aspirations. Our community funds across the UK total more than £37 million to date, with over £7 million invested in communities near our developments in South Ayrshire.
Sharing the Benefit
Our community benefit funds have helped fund initiatives across South Ayrshire, including supporting local schools, communities, clubs and associations across the region.
Community benefit funds from our operational windfarms benefit 18 communities across north and south Carrick. These funds are managed and administered by local people to deliver local initiatives. Some of the initiatives that SPR community benefit funds have supported include:
- £32,000 towards Straiton Cooperative to make improvements to the village toilets, purchase a new fridge freezer for the shop and to refurbish the co-op house so that it is suitable for renting.
- £4,895 to install accessible cabinets and maintain defibrillators in communities across north Carrick.
- £3,000 towards running costs for Kirkmichael Gala.
- £3,926.41 towards purchasing and installing new furnishings at Crosshill Bowling Club clubhouse.
Above: Maybole over 50s walking group at Dersalloch Windfarm, turbines are up to 124.5 metres to blade tip in height. Turbines proposed for Carrick Windfarm are up to 200 metres to blade tip in height.
We are working with local stakeholders to ensure that renewable energy boosts the local economy and creates opportunities for local people.
There will also be an opportunity for the local community to invest in the operational Carrick Windfarm should they wish to do so. A separate communication introducing this opportunity to invest is being shared with local community councils and will be sent covering this aspect in due course.
Employment Opportunities
We are committed to maximising employment opportunities for those local to our projects by making sure that local people and businesses have the opportunity to be part of our industry’s success.
As a major infrastructure development, Carrick Windfarm has the potential to create employment opportunities. If consent is granted, jobs would be created both during construction and after completion, in support of operation and maintenance activities. The estimated employment opportunities [1] are detailed below:
- The projected direct, indirect and induced job generation during construction is anticipated to be around 119 in South Ayrshire and around 357 jobs in Scotland as a whole. [2]
- Operation of the proposed Development is anticipated to generate a total of 21 direct, indirect and induced jobs and approximately £826,468 GVA in South Ayrshire and 30 direct, indirect and induced jobs in Scotland and approximately £1.1 million GVA.[2]
Opportunities for Local Businesses
New renewable energy developments can bring increased opportunities for local companies to gain new business. We are interested in working with local businesses that can provide a variety of skills and services during the construction phase and operational lifetime of our development. This may include services such as ground and road maintenance, catering, building trades and plant hire.
Above: Tower construction at SPR’s Kilgallioch Windfarm.
We will host ‘Meet the Contractor’ events prior to construction, aimed specifically at small to medium enterprises, to discuss the types of contracts being let during construction and operation.
It is estimated that the project construction would boost the local economy by a total of £7.5 million of net additional GVA (gross value added) during the construction period (£22.4 million for Scotland as a whole).
[1] Estimates calculated using the methodology set out in Renewable UK’s publication Onshore Wind: Economic Impacts in 2014 (April 2015).
[2] A displacement factor of 25% has been applied for the projected jobs and GVA generated by the Proposed Development during construction, operation and maintenance. A Scottish Government “Type II Multiplier” has been used to predict indirect and induced employment generated during the construction, operation and maintenance.
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