REG WindPower is a

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

company, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. REG Windpower is one of the UK’s leading developers and operators of small to medium-sized

wind farms A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...

, operating nine sites in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and one in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, with a combined operational capacity of 41.15 MW. The ultimate parent company Renewable Energy Generation Limited, registered in Jersey, was put into liquidation in January 2016.

Wind farms owned and operated by REG

Its nine operational wind farms are: * Braich Ddu, Glan-yr-afon,

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

; *

Goonhilly Downs Goonhilly Downs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) that forms a raised plateau in the central western area of the The Lizard, Lizard peninsula in southern Cornwall, England. It is one of 229 English national nature reserves designat ...

the Lizard The Lizard () is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The southernmost point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; The Lizard, also known as Lizard village, is the most southerly region on the ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

; * High Haswell, Easington,

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

; * High Pow,

Wigton Wigton is a market town in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It lies just outside the Lake District. Wigton is at the centre of the Solway Plain, between the Caldbeck Fells and the Solway coast. It is served by Wigton railway st ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

; * High Sharpley,

; * Loscar, Harthill,

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

; *

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Companies *Ramsey (retailer), Turkish clothing retailer People * Ramsey (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Ramsey (surname), including a list of people with the surname * Baron de Ramsey, a title i ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

; * Roskrow Barton, Penryn,

; * St Breock,

; *

Whittlesey Whittlesey (also Whittlesea) is a market town and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England. Whittlesey is east of Peterborough. The population of the parish was 17,667 at the 2021 Census. Toponymy W ...

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

Company history

REG Windpower was founded as the Cornwall Light and Power Company in 1989, and changed its name to REG Windpower in 2010. REG Windpower is owned by Renewable Energy Generation Ltd. REG Ltd is listed on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

Alternative Investment Market (AIM). As well developing, building and operating wind farms, the group also generates renewable energy from used cooking oil through its subsidiary company REG Bio-Power.

Financial Results

In March 2011, REG reported pre-tax losses, which the company blamed on unusually low wind levels in the preceding year. Financial Year 2012 - pre-tax loss of £2,313,731 Financial Year 2013 - pre-tax loss of £4,683,136 Financial Year 2014 - pre-tax loss of £4,838,896 Financial Year 2015 - pre-tax loss of £17,678,599

Proposed new wind farms

In October 2011, REG Windpower launched public consultation on several new wind farms in England. If completed, these projects will have a combined installed capacity of almost 50 MW. The projects are: * Bank House Farm, Croft,

North East Lincolnshire North East Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. It borders the borough of North Lincolnshire and districts of West Lindsey and East Lindsey. The population of the district in the 2011 Census was ...

; * French Farm Extension, Thorney,

; * Grange Farm,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

; * M48,

South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Kingswood, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke. The southern p ...

; * Mendennick,

; * St Breock Repower,

; * Steadfold Lane,

Ketton Ketton is a village and civil parish in Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is about east of Oakham and west of Stamford, Lincolnshire. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 1,926, making it the fourth largest settlement in ...

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

. *Old River Don, Crowle,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

*Knockshinnoch,

Rankinston Rankinston is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland, off the B730, approximately south east of the town of Ayr. Rankinston commands a panoramic view of over north, looking over the towns of Ayr, Prestwick and Troon. During the reign of Ro ...

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Roa ...

*Langthwaite,

Millom Millom is a town and civil parish on the north shore of the estuary of the River Duddon in southernmost Cumberland, Cumbria, England. It is situated just outside the Lake District National Park, about north of Barrow-in-Furness ( by road) and ...

Controversies

REG Windpower has attracted criticism over their selection of some of their development sites. * Old River Don wind farm - the site chosen for 6 turbines was the site of two World War II graves. A Lancaster bomber crashed in September 1945 and two Australian airmen were never found. The location of one of the turbines was to be close to where the crash site was believed to be. * Knockshinnoch Wind Farm - East Ayrshire Council Planning Committee granted consent for the site on 30 January 2015 despite an objection from West of Scotland Archaeology Service due to the existence of Carline Knowe, a prehistoric cairn sitting just a few metres from the base of the turbines. The site is located 200 metres from the edge of Dunstonhill surface mine which was abandoned following the collapse of Scottish Coal in April 2013. Many local residents were unhappy with further development in this area while Dunstonhill blighted the landscape. The site also sits just 488 metres from the nearest home despite Scottish Government Guidance recommending a minimum separation distance for this size of turbine (126.5 metres height) being 900 metres. In total 26 separate planning policies and guidance were breached however the Planning Committee overturned the advice of the Planning Department to refuse.

References