Thrive is partnering with Burgar Hill Renewables to give a new lease of life to one of the UK’s pioneering wind farm sites

News

21 Mar 2025

The companies will shortly be consulting on the repowering of Burgar Hill wind farm.

Article written by anna.cooper

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Thrive is partnering with Burgar Hill Renewables Ltd to repower the Burgar Hill wind projects on Orkney, with plans to replace five of the current turbines with four larger and more efficient machines – harnessing the abundant natural resources at one of the best sites for wind generation in Europe.

The new joint venture, Burgar Hill Energy Ltd, will manage the proposed development, with a proposed turbine tip height of up to 200 metres and combined capacity of up to 30MW. The wind farm will also provide an estimated £150k in community benefit each year (based on the proposed capacity of 30MW), which will be used to support local projects and developments.

Proposals for the repowering project are currently in the early stages. Work has begun on planning studies and Burgar Hill Energy will soon launch a public consultation into the plans, with two community events planned to take place in the coming months, which will be advertised locally. More information can be found on the Burgar Hill Energy website here.

Burgar Hill was home to some of the world’s first multi-megawatt wind turbines and acted as a crucial testbed for onshore wind in the 1980s. Both Burgar Hill Renewables, which also represents the local landowner, and Thrive own a turbine on the site. The additional three turbines currently in place are owned by other third parties.

“Having grown up with one of the world’s first wind generation sites in our skyline and under our ownership, I’m really excited about the prospect of continuing to innovate at this pioneering site.  We have already worked with Thrive for close to 20 years and we look forward to the next phase of our partnership, and to doing something that can continue to support clean energy targets and our local community.”

Melissa Spence, Managing Director, Burgar Hill Renewables

“Burgar Hill has a rich history in renewable generation and is therefore a prime location for repowering. We’ve been proudly operating our Sigurd turbine since 2006 and are excited to be partnering with Burgar Hill Renewables to extend the life of the entire site, ensuring it delivers clean electricity and community benefit well into the future. We would really encourage the local community to take part in the consultation and share their thoughts on the proposals.”

Matthew Clayton, Managing Director, Thrive Renewables

In 2023 we replaced Sigurd’s blades, which had reached the end of their life, working with ReBlade to repurpose them into useful items like bike shelters and EV charging stations. This saw us become one of the first UK companies to decommission wind turbine blades using circular economy principles.