RENEWABLES FRIM CONSULTS LOCAL COMMUNITIES

A renewable energy developer is hosting a series of important workshops with local stakeholders to gather feedback on how they can help ease the transition towards affordable, clean, green energy.

Bank Renewables series of Affordable Energy Transition Community Workshops were kicked off last month and featured attendees from South Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Enterprise, local charities, organisations and community groups.

A Just Transition means maximising the social and economic opportunities in Scotland’s move to net-zero, while minimising any potential challenges. The workshops were set up by Banks Renewables to find out how best the Hamilton-based firm could help homes near its wind farms in South Lanarkshire transition to a greener, more affordable future.

Attendees at the first workshop held in September were asked to explain the challenges that their communities face in the transition to clean, affordable energy amid global energy price increases and the need to help tackle climate change, and to share their views about potential solutions on how to tackle them.

Robin Winstanley, sustainability and external affairs manager at Banks Renewables said: “By having these important workshops and key conversations at the right time, South Lanarkshire’s transition to net-zero can work to everyone’s benefit.

We are looking to find both tangible and practical ways to support what is an incredible community to be a part of. This series of workshops can provide us with those all-important answers, helping us to find solutions together not only for today, but also long-term solutions for the future.”

The firm has also commissioned a study to be carried out by Natural Power, looking at a number of communities near to its Middle Muir Wind Farm. The research will recommend how funding could be efficiently applied to make the biggest positive environmental benefit.

The series of workshops is just one of the efforts by Banks Renewables to continue the commitment to its ‘Development with Care’ policy, just one of the firm’s initiatives to ensure that its projects are conducted with local communities and environment at the forefront.

Robin continued: “We want to try and deal with issues in a strategic way. Onshore wind projects can deliver an abundance of positive value to the local community, as well as further afield.

Whether it is to tackle climate change and the cost of energy crisis or to fund and support incredible local initiatives, liaising with local people can help us massively in working towards common goals.”

The Affordable Energy Transition Community Workshops are the latest of a long line of community engagement projects Banks Renewables has carried out around South Lanarkshire, with each project going through stringent community consultations to contribute to wind farm designs. Banks Renewables operates a range of onshore wind projects across South Lanarkshire which will help give Scotland a sustainable source of electricity and cut reliance on environmentally damaging fossil fuels.