The Scottish Equity Partners' (SEP) £135m Environmental Capital Fund is to provide a £9m boost for Highland and Island communities.

The investment will be made in Hamsin Wind to fund a programme of approximately 200 small, community based, single onshore wind turbines.

The infrastructure project will give farmers and landowners the opportunity to install single wind turbines on their properties.

The investment fund exist to support small-scale UK based clean energy infrastructure projects, including energy efficiency, biomass, small-hydro, heat pumps and district heating schemes.

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The turbines measure 20 metres high and are 'sympathetic' with rural landscapes, grid connected, easy to erect and subject to a straightforward planning process.

Overall, the project has the potential to save over 5,000 tonnes per year of CO2 or over 100,000 tonnes over the life of the turbines.

Peter Bachmann, Director at SEP said "Hamsin marks an exciting initial investment for SEP’s infrastructure fund and will help remote communities benefit from their local wind resource to generate green, low cost power.  In some areas, it will play a key role in helping tackle fuel poverty. Hamsin is the first of several small-scale clean energy infrastructure investment opportunities being progressed by SEP."

Working with development partners, Mistral Energy and ABG, Hamsin has engaged Kingspan Wind as the turbine supply partner, with many of the turbines being manufactured in Scotland.

The first turbines will be operational in Orkney by the end of this month.

(LM/CD)