By Cris Thacker, Fred. Olsen Renewables

“The Highlands stand at one of the most significant moments in their recent history. Renewable energy investment is coming to the region at an extraordinary scale. However, the real measure of success will not simply be how much renewable energy infrastructure we build. It will be what that investment enables for Highland businesses, communities and people. That is why it is important to me that Fred. Olsen Renewables is involved in the Highland Sustainable Development Summit in Inverness this month.

The Summit comes at an important time. Highland Renewables has identified an estimated £100 billion pipeline of renewable energy and infrastructure projects at various stages of development. Its ambition is to connect that investment with business growth, skills, housing, communities and the natural environment, recognising that these are interconnected parts of creating successful places.

As a developer with projects in the Highlands, I believe we have a responsibility to be part of that conversation and help turn investment into lasting value.

Our proposed Invercassley Wind Farm in Sutherland demonstrates that opportunity. The 144MW, 20-turbine development, if consented, would provide £720,000 every year in community benefit over its 35-year operational life, creating an estimated £25.2 million Community Benefit Fund. We have also committed to maximising opportunities for the local supply chain and ensuring community wealth-building opportunities are meaningful and tailored to local needs.

At Balnespick, east of Tomatin and north of Carrbridge, our revised proposal is for a 50.4MW wind farm. Community feedback has already helped shape the project, which includes a proposed Community Benefit Fund worth more than £250,000 a year, alongside peat and biodiversity commitments.

These figures matter, but they are only part of the story. The bigger opportunity is connecting the capital investment behind renewable energy projects with Highland businesses, supply chains and skills, while ensuring community benefit supports the longer-term ambitions of the places hosting those developments. That requires us to think beyond individual projects.

The Highlands has the renewable resource, businesses, communities, natural assets, expertise and ambition. The challenge is bringing these strengths together, so the energy transition becomes a catalyst for something bigger: sustainable economic development that builds capacity, creates opportunities and leaves lasting value within the region. That reflects the wider ambition behind the Summit.

For Fred. Olsen Renewables, our involvement is therefore about more than attending another industry event. It is about listening, collaborating and asking an important question: how can the investment we are making today help create the Highlands we want to see tomorrow?

If we get that right, the legacy of the energy transition will be measured not simply in turbines and megawatts, but in stronger businesses, thriving communities and opportunities that remain in the Highlands for generations.”

Highland Sustainable Development Summit
18–19 November 2026 | Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness

Programme and tickets: https://tinyurl.com/58umyp2h