Community benefits

Find out how Kype Muir Wind Farm Extension will bring investment, jobs, and a yearly benefit fund to the local area.

Community benefits

Creating community value together

We establish community funds for every OnPath Energy project to ensure that the benefits are channelled back into the local community. Kype Muir Wind Farm, together with the Kype Muir Extension, provide the local community with a range of benefits including:

– £21.1 million into a local community fund over the lifespan of the wind farms 

– £159 million investment in the local economy 

– 800 jobs directly or indirectly supported  

– £1.3 million skills and training fund for the first five years, helping up to 440 local people

Kype Muir Community Panel (KMCP)

Increased community benefits

The Kype Muir Community Fund provides £138,000 annually to benefit community groups within 10 kilometres of the Kype Muir Wind Farm and Kype Muir Wind Farm Extension. The fund supports a wide range of community needs, from community buildings to local art installations to helping to drive local grassroots projects. The fund also includes an initiative to help provide jobs and apprenticeships in the local area.

To ensure the communities and their relative needs are fully represented when allocating grants, the Kype Muir Community Partnership (KMCP) manages the fund. 

As a result of the Kype Muir Extension, we increased the benefits for the local communities. The new offer for the combined Kype Muir and Kype Muir Extension developments is supported by the following financial commitments:

  •  Increase in the communities share of gross revenues from 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent
  •  Guaranteed minimum of £5,000 per MW per annum

The increase to 2.5% of the revenue of the combined Kype Muir and Kype Muir Extension developments is expected to deliver £32 million of funds to local communities over the lifecycle of the projects. In order to deliver this overall package the Kype Muir Extension partnering proposal will be as follows:

  • Gross Revenue share of 4% delivering £20,000,000, taking the combined revenue share of the Kype projects to £32,000,000.
  • Underwritten by a guaranteed minimum of £5,000 per MW per annum which equates to £7,600,000 over the project’s lifecycle.
Apply for a grant

Community benefit fund

Please contact our OnPath Energy Community Fund fund manager before applying for a grant.

Tel: 0191 378 6342
Email: apply@onpathcommunityfund.co.uk

To make a grant applications please visit the County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF) website.

Supporting local businesses

Seeing the bigger picture

As part of our commitment to local businesses, wherever possible, we invite local suppliers to tender for work on our projects. During the construction of Kype Muir, over 80% of the contracts were sourced locally. 

If you’d like your company to get involved with any of our current renewables developments, we’d like to hear from you.