North West wind farms under new ownership
Two onshore wind farms in North West England are under new ownership after being sold by leading renewables developer OnPath Energy to one of Europe's leading independent renewable energy producers.
The Armistead Wind Farm, which sits to the east of the M6 between junctions 36 and 37 in south Cumbria, and the Heysham South Wind Farm in north Lancashire have been purchased by ERG as part of its wider acquisition of seven of OnPath’s English onshore wind farms.
The community benefits packages linked to the two sites will be fully maintained by ERG over the projects’ lifetimes, while they will all continue to operate as normal, with no plans for any new turbines to be installed on any of the locations.
The existing OnPath team will continue to manage the wind farms on behalf of their new owners for around 18 months.
OnPath Energy is currently exploring a range of potential new development locations, including across North West England, and is set to bring forward a number of new proposals for onshore wind farms over the next 12 months.
The Armistead and Heysham South Wind Farms produced enough electricity in 2024 to meet the average annual electricity needs of almost 19,000 homes, or a city around the size of Lancaster.
They also delivered combined revenues of more than £29,500 during 2024 for their respective community benefits funds, which provide financial support for projects being undertaken by groups and good causes in their surrounding communities.
These funds have so far received over £350,000 in total during the wind farms’ operational lifetimes.
Headquartered in Italy and listed in Milan, ERG operates around 4,000 MW globally and, following this transaction, 412MW of installed wind capacity in the UK with a growing portfolio of wind and solar energy projects across nine European countries and in the United States.
Richard Dunkley, CEO at OnPath Energy, says: “OnPath Energy’s ambitious growth strategy is based around developing and building new onshore wind farms, where proceeds from selling mature assets can be used to develop and acquire new projects.
“The sale of our North West wind farms is part of a long-term business plan and we are very pleased to have now completed this transaction with such a well-regarded operator as ERG.
“The community benefits packages linked to these sites will be fully maintained under their new ownership over the projects’ lifetimes, while the existing OnPath team will continue to manage them, thus helping ensure continuity for local people.”