Local Engagement

The communities’ continued support is invaluable to the development of wind energy projects. Types of benefit depend on the project and the needs of the local community. ERG has offered various types of community benefits, including:

• Annual community benefit payments based on project capacity to a local foundation
• Community Shared Ownership
• Discounts on electricity bills for homes close to the wind farm
• Local procurement policies
• Sponsoring local associations and events
• Ad-hoc support in moments of difficulty (e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic)

Requirements

Recipients of community benefit funds from ERG’s UK wind farms are in line with the company’s Code of Ethics and Sustainability protocol. Applications for community benefit funds from ERG’s UK wind farms are required to be in line with the company’s Code of Ethics and Sustainability protocol.

We strive to keep close relations with the local community through community meetings and Community Liaison Forums from the early stages of development, during the organisation of community benefit schemes, and for as long as the projects remain in operation.

ERG has sponsored a number of events in the local areas around our wind farms and we have also helped local schools in Dumfries and Galloway when facing difficulty with remote teaching during the pandemic, by acquiring tablets for the pupils to use.

We were honoured to have the Sandy Knowe Wind Farm in Upper Nithsdale, Dumfries and Galloway, shortlisted for the Best Community Engagement Award at The Scottish Green Energy Awards 2016. The Award recognised ‘outstanding engagement with a community by a commercial developer, which enhanced the participation of the community in the project and/or shared the benefits of the project with the community.’

For questions regarding community relation please contact Stephanie Conesa sconesa@erg.eu

We aim to ensure that the local communities around our wind farm projects benefit the most, both through community benefit funds and by using local suppliers whenever available. In Northern Ireland – where we have invested upwards of £35m in the construction of our Evishagaran and Craiggore wind farms – we work with, among others, local contractors Alexanders, Adman and Omexom. At our Sandy Knowe Wind Farm, we partnered with Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of Commerce to develop a bespoke procurement scheme giving local contractors a price advantage in supplier tenders. Dumfries-based contractor, AMD Contract Services Ltd, won the contract for the enabling works for the wind farm grid connection. This successful scheme will be reproduced should our under-development project, Rigghill Wind Farm in North Ayrshire gain consent.

Finally, we always aim to organise opportunities for local businesses to meet us and understand the opportunities to supply services or materials to our wind farm projects through Business Network events, Meet-the-Buyer events, etc.

Contractors and suppliers interested in working with us can consult our supplier registration page (www.erg.eu/en/suppliers). For further information, please contact Alessandro Stagnitto (astagnitto@erg.eu) (Norther Ireland) and Pietro Mosca (pmosca@erg.eu) (Scotland).

Sustainable development and climate change represent the main challenges of our era. Energy and the way we produce it are at the centre of these challenges and the growth of renewable energy generation represents one of the main enabling factors in our efforts to confront it. Consequently, we have the responsibility to be on the front line of the energy transition, proposing sustainable, innovative and efficient solutions.

We have adopted a business model aimed at sustainable development and decarbonisation, in line with the energy system transition process taking place at a global level.

We have developed this strategic sustainability approach in line with the current global scenario, assessing the challenges in view of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We practice sustainability in every single action in a robust, transparent and ethical way, and we are committed to ensuring that our stakeholders do the same. For all of our corporate sustainability and governance information, please visit www.erg.eu/en/sustainability

In May 2021, ERG approved our new five year business plan, which will fully embody our ESG Strategy. The four pillars of our strategy are –

1. Planet – fight against climate change;
2. Engagement – commitment in favour of communities;
3. People – attention to personal growth and well-being;
4. Governance – principles and management bodies inspired by best practices.