Groundbreaking wind farm extension officially opened by East Kilbride MP

Kype Muir and its extension are expected to deliver more than £21m worth of community benefits during its lifetime and will directly and indirectly support around 800 jobs

A state-of-the-art South Lanarkshire wind farm which is set to generate enough renewable electricity to meet the annual needs of around 53,700 homes for the next 30 years has been officially opened.

Earlier this year renewable energy developers OnPath Energy (formerly Banks Renewables) announced that the new 15-turbine site in Strathaven was exporting clean, green electricity to the national grid.

Members of the OnPath team welcomed local community members, business partners and government officials to Kype Muir Wind Farm Extension to celebrate its official opening, with Joani Reid Labour MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven formally opening the groundbreaking wind farm.

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Ms Reid said: “I welcome the opportunity to open the Kype Muir Wind Farm Extension, it is another key building block towards a just transition to net zero as well a boost to the local economy.

“It is also great to see pupils from Newfield Primary being part of the celebration and the naming of the turbines.”

Kype Muir Extension will be a significant addition to OnPath Energy’s 26-turbine Kype Muir Wind Farm site.

In 2022, the First Minister at the time, Nicola Sturgeon, officially marked the connection of the UK’s first 200m turbine at Kype Muir Extension, recognising it as a key moment for Scotland’s renewable energy industry.

Kype Muir and its extension are expected to deliver more than £21m worth of community benefits during its lifetime and will directly and indirectly support around 800 jobs.

Combined with Kype Muir Wind Farm, the two sites will generate over 155 MW annually, providing renewable energy for more than 123,000 homes, equivalent to a city the size of Aberdeen.

Gordon Thomson, projects director at OnPath Energy said: “The official launch of Kype Muir Extension is a major milestone for all involved in this project.

“The site is going to deliver vast amounts of clean renewable energy, while financially benefiting local communities for generations through our Kype Muir Community Partnership.

“In addition to this, it has supported hundreds of jobs in the local area which represents a significant boost to the local economy."

The estimated lifetime regional spend from the first Kype Muir Wind Farm alone is expected to be around £123M and, and as part of OnPath’s commitment to local businesses, local contractors were prioritised in the same way when developing Kype Muir Extension Wind Farm.

Together, Kype and Kype Extension will displace around 307,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to removing approximately 30,700 petrol cars from the roads each year, further underscoring the importance of this milestone for the UK's net-zero ambitions.

The extension features four 156m, three 176m, and eight 200m-tall wind turbines. Scottish civil engineering firm RJ McLeod (Contractors) Ltd were the principal contractors for both Kype Muir and Kype Muir Wind Farm Extension, together both projects delivered £188 million investment in the Scottish economy with £159 million of that investment within a 60km radius of the site.

The event featured a plaque unveiling at the site as well as the winners of a local school turbine naming competition.

Children from Stonehouse-based Newfield Primary School were asked to think of creative names for the local developer’s wind turbines, and out of the 38 entries the three winners were: Harry Scott with Sir Winds A Lot, Orla Kier Bowers with The Topsy Turney and Matthew Ramsay with Renewable Ronnie.

Chair of South Lanarkshire Council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, Councillor Robert Brown, said: “The official launch of the Kype Muir extension marks a significant increase in the amount of clean, renewable energy that can be produced.

“It’s great news for the environment, and I am delighted that the local economy is also being supported in terms of the jobs that have been created. It is a significant long-term commitment by OnPath and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone involved in the project.”

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