Thrive Renewables has acquired the rights to build the 57MW Whitelaw Brae wind farm project in the Scottish Borders near Tweedsmuir.
The deal marks the company’s largest project to date and another major step in its ambitious growth plans to double generation capacity within the next five years.
It is the second project to be funded by Fair Play Clean Energy, Thrive’s joint venture with TopCashback Sustainability, which brings together a combined £80m in capital to fund new clean energy projects in the UK.
The Whitelaw Brae wind project was originally owned by developer, BayWa r.e., with Thrive acquiring the project in December 2024 following the successful completion of a competitive tender in October 2024.
Thrive has a record of delivering community and shared ownership, both at its own sites and by providing funding for community-owned energy projects.
Now the company has acquired Whitelaw Brae, it aims to facilitate shared ownership at this site with Ripple Energy’s latest co-op.
Monika Paplaczyk, investment director at Thrive Renewables, said: “Scotland is one of the best places in the world for onshore wind, so we’re really pleased to have acquired this project and are working hard to move it through to the construction stage.
Whitelaw Brae will be our largest project to date and comes as Thrive celebrates 30 years of funding and building clean energy projects here in the UK.
We look forward to getting the wind farm operational so that it can start delivering cheaper, cleaner power for homes and businesses, with the ambition to offer the wider community an opportunity to own a stake in the project too.”
John Milligan, Managing Director at BayWa r.e. UK, said: “This transaction represents the continued development of quality renewable energy assets in Scotland, a key market in supporting the UK government’s net zero ambitions.
“We look forward to seeing the project progress and help accelerate the energy transition.”