Glenurquhart and Strathglass
Wind Energy Project
Team
Project Coordinator
Mike Girvan was born and educated in Glenurquhart. An active member of the community mainly involved in the local shinty team. He left Glenurquhart in 1969 at the age of 17 to attend Aberdeen University graduating in 1974 with a 2:1 honours in Animal Science. Mike works as an Agricultural Consultant based in Kirkwall, Orkney.
Mike has been instrumental in initiating the Corrimony project and progressing it to its present position and will continue to bring all the parties together and organise the finance required for the successful completion of the project. This will bring considerable financial benefit to the local economy and communities.
Project Designer
Orkney Sustainable Energy www.orkneywind.co.uk, was established in 1995. The company is owned by Richard Gauld who first became involved in the wind industry in 1987 when he was appointed Senior Technician on the Orkney 3MW machine. The exciting and pioneering nature of the wind industry and a commitment to renewable energy has kept Richard in the industry ever since, with innovative wind energy projects completed locally and throughout Europe. Orkney Sustainable Energy has been responsible for planning most of the wind projects currently operating in Orkney and is currently involved with planning a number of projects in the North and Northeast of Scotland. The company is committed to developing renewable energy in a socially responsible and environmentally sensitive way.
For the Corrimony project, Orkney Sustainable Energy are responsible for all design, planning and environmental studies.
Land Owners
Lindsay and Mamie Girvan are the current landowners of Corrimony. The farm was purchased from the Forestry Commision in 1992. Since that time the Forestry Commision have sold all the planted area on Corrimony to the RSPB to form part of the Corrimony Nature Reserve.
Corrimony is a well run suckler cow and sheep unit. Lindsay and Mamie now farm it in partnership with their son David. With farming going into decline they are now looking at investing in a windfarm as an alternative income and a way of diversifying their business to improve its viability and in turn help bring an income to the local community.