Our community windfarm

March 2017 saw the turbines begin to turn at our ground-breaking community wind farm “The Fisherman Three” at Hoprigshiels near Cockburnspath.

The windfarm is a project jointly run by Community Energy Scotland and us. By supplying energy to the National Grid, it will generate around £20 million over the next 25 years.

From the revenue generate, Community Energy Scotland’s share will allow it to support communities across Scotland to develop and benefit from renewable energy projects while BHA’s share will enable us to invest more in our existing homes and develop more new homes in the future.

Over its life, the windfarm is also expected to create enough energy to power around 5,900 households and will save 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year, helping us to play a small but significant part in the global fight against climate change.

Paul Wheelhouse, then Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, officially opened the windfarm at a ceremony on 28th March 2017. As this is the first time a windfarm has ever been developed by a UK housing association the launch even made the national newspapers, with our then Chief Executive Helen Forsyth being interviewed for both television and radio.

The windfarm project was made possible thanks to support from two main funders, Triodos Bank and the Renewable Energy Investment Fund (REIF). REIF is delivered by the Scottish Investment Bank – the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise – on behalf of the Scottish Government and its Enterprise Agencies. The wind farm is now fully funded by Triodos Bank.