Renewables developer powers up team with two new hires

A major Scottish renewable energy developer has bolstered its team with two significant appointments to its project development and community engagement teams.

Bruce Bowyer (pictured above) has joined OnPath Energy, formerly Banks Renewables, as development director, bringing more than a decade of experience in land acquisition and stakeholder engagement.

Aileen McCreadie also joins as partnerships and community manager, in a newly created position, and will lead on further building OnPath’s strong reputation for effective community engagement.

Both Bowyer and McCreadie will play key roles in the firm as it looks to grow in terms of the diversity of its projects and technologies.

The firm will also look to increase its geographical footprint and deliver a range of high-quality projects that will contribute to both the UK’s journey towards net zero and its essential domestic supplies of secure, affordable green energy.

Bruce said: “The opportunity to join OnPath Energy, as it starts its next chapter under its new name, was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.

We have an extensive portfolio of projects in operation and even more in the pipeline that will provide both strong social, economic and environmental benefits to communities across Scotland, while also being significant contributions to diversifying Scotland’s energy output.

OnPath Energy already has a fantastic reputation for its commitment to engaging clearly transparently and consistently with stakeholders.”

He added: “Building and growing these relationships remains paramount to our business, as we move forward and crucial to our continuing success as we move forward with our plans to become the UK’s leading renewables developer.

I’m very fortunate to be working with such a talented team as we work together to play our part in a just transition to net zero that is fair and inclusive for everyone.”

Bruce and Aileen’s appointments come on the heels of significant milestones for OnPath, including the recent completion of the Kype Muir Wind Farm Extension in South Lanarkshire.

This project, featuring the UK’s first onshore turbines to reach 200 metres in height, now generates the equivalent renewable electricity to meet the average annual electricity needs of around 53,700 households.

OnPath Energy has also secured planning approval for the Lethans Wind Farm Extension, which when operational will average electricity needs of around 80,000 homes each year.

Aileen said: “It’s crucial that our projects deliver tangible benefits to local communities, and my goal is to ensure that we are nurturing existing long-term relationships with communities while creating new ones to build community value in the communities closest to our projects.

This will only be possible through strong collaboration and I’m looking forward to meeting with a range of local communities, local councils and many more key stakeholders over the coming months to see how best we can support them to build upon, improve and support the maintenance and creation of vital local assets and services through our projects.”

OnPath Energy is also progressing with plans for its proposed 200MW Pond Battery Site, a critical energy storage project that has the potential to meet the peak electricity demands of around 240,000 homes for two hours – or the average demands of around 600,000 households for the same period.

The BESS project recently passed through West Lothian Council and has now gone to the Scottish Governments Energy Consents Unit for its consideration.

The recent successes at Kype Muir and Lethans underline OnPath Energy’s position as a leader in the renewable energy sector, with these projects alone set to displace tens of thousands of tonnes of CO2 annually.

Kype Muir Wind Farm, located approximately 5km south of the town of Strathaven, is a flagship development. Consisting of 26 turbines, the site has been fully operational since 2019.

Both Kype Muir and Kype Muir Extension are set to deliver community benefits equating to more than £770,000 each year made available to surrounding communities.