Young minds power up proposed wind farm with new name
It’s been a joy to spend time in each of the three schools, hearing the children’s ideas and seeing how much thought they put into…
A NEWLY proposed wind farm in East Ayrshire set to transform a former opencast mine has found its identity thanks to help from local pupils.
The wind farm, proposed by OnPath Energy, recently submitted a scoping report and is planned for the restored Garleffan and Grievehill opencast coal mine, a prominent site located just east of the village of Netherthird in East Ayrshire.
As part of proposals, children from Netherthird, New Cumnock, and Logan Primary School were all invited to put forward names for the site by OnPath Energy, which will now be known as Glen Water Wind Farm
Primary five pupils from Netherthird Primary School came up with the winning name, which, if approved, will become the official title for the site for generations to come.
Aileen McCreadie, partnerships and community manager at OnPath Energy, said: ” We’ve been genuinely blown away by the enthusiasm and creativity shown by all the pupils we worked with.
“It’s been a joy to spend time in each of the three schools, hearing the children’s ideas and seeing how much thought they put into the naming process.
“There’s a real enthusiasm for renewable energy among the pupils, and we’re keen to support that interest, not least through their brilliant work with the Clean Green Teams and their ambition to achieve the Gold Award.
“Choosing a single winner was far from easy, there were a lot of brilliant names, but Glen Water Wind Farm stood out as something truly meaningful and rooted in the identity of the place.
“We’ll be putting the other brilliant name suggestions to good use too, with several set to become the names of individual turbines on the proposed site.”
The naming exercise is just one part of OnPath Energy’s wider OnPath Together approach, which puts people at the centre of each of its renewable developments.
Other standout entries will also be celebrated, with five turbines at the proposed site set to be named after pupils’ creative suggestions.
These include Robert Burns turbine, The Nith turbine and Grieveleffan Hill turbine, all from New Cumnock Primary from Logan Primary School.
It’s been a joy to spend time in each of the three schools, hearing the children’s ideas and seeing how much thought they put into the naming process.”
If consented, Glen Water Wind Farm will feature up to eight turbines each with a tip height of up to 250 metres, capable of generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of around 55,000 homes annually.
One primary five pupil from Netherthird Primary School said: “We learned that in Scotland a Glen is a narrow valley. There are lots of local places that have Glen in their name, like Glenafton, Glenburn and Glenmuir so we thought this would be a good one. We also thought that the wind farm would be near water, so Glen Water was a good choice.”
It will deliver significant benefit to the local community and causes, delivering a minimum of £5,000 per megawatt annually in community funding. OnPath is also offering 1% free shared equity to the community as an additional revenue stream, with further opportunities for local people to invest through its shared ownership scheme.
Ewan Robertson, project manager at OnPath Energy, said: “Seeing the enthusiasm from pupils and teachers across all three schools has been incredibly motivating.
“Their ideas and involvement have helped bring this project to life in a way no technical drawing or grid connection plan ever could.
“We believe renewable energy should be a force for good in local communities, not just a power source. That means investing in people, education and opportunity from the very beginning.
“Over the twenty years this business has been working in renewable energy this team has seen first-hand how onshore wind can deliver long-term value, from funding vital community projects to supporting local jobs.
“We’re confident that what we’re putting forward here is a strong, well-thought-out proposal that will do the same.”
The second round of public consultations on the project are scheduled to take place in October, where updated plans will be shown that reflects feedback gathered from the initial consultation events held in April.
OnPath Energy has also pledged to continue engaging with local schools, organisations and community groups throughout the development process, ensuring the project leaves a lasting legacy far beyond clean electricity.
