Yorkshire wind farms under new ownership

Four onshore wind farms in Yorkshire are under new ownership after being sold by leading renewables developer OnPath Energy to one of Europe’s leading independent renewable energy producers.

The Penny Hill Wind Farm near Sheffield, the Hook Moor scheme to the east of Leeds, the Marr Wind Farm to the west of Doncaster and the Hazlehead Wind Farm near Barnsley have been purchased by ERG as part of its wider acquisition of seven of OnPath’s English onshore wind farms.

The community benefits packages linked to each site will be fully maintained by ERG over the projects’ lifetimes, while they will all continue to operate as normal, with no plans for any new turbines to be installed at any of the locations.

The existing OnPath team will continue to manage the wind farms on behalf of their new owners for around 18 months.

OnPath Energy is currently exploring a range of potential new developments locations, including within Yorkshire, and is set to bring forward a number of new proposals for onshore wind farms over the next 12 months.

The four Yorkshire wind farms produced enough electricity in 2024 to meet the average annual electricity needs of more than 33,200 homes – or a city around the size of Doncaster.

They delivered combined revenues of more than £61,000 during 2024 for their respective community benefits funds, which provide financial support for projects being undertaken by groups and good causes in their surrounding communities.

These funds have so far received over £600,000 in total during the four wind farms’ operational lifetimes.

Headquartered in Italy and listed in Milan, ERG operates around 4,000 MW globally and, following this transaction, 412MW of installed wind capacity in the UK with a growing portfolio of wind and solar energy projects across nine European countries and in the United States.

Richard Dunkley, CEO at OnPath Energy, says: “OnPath Energy’s ambitious growth strategy is based around developing and building new onshore wind farms, where proceeds from selling mature assets can be used to develop and acquire new projects.

“The sale of our Yorkshire wind farms is part of a long-term business plan and we are very pleased to have now completed this transaction with such a well-regarded operator as ERG.

“The community benefits packages linked to each of these sites will be fully maintained under their new ownership over the projects’ lifetimes, while the existing OnPath team will continue to manage them, thus helping ensure continuity for local people.

“Yorkshire has long been a key area of operation for us and we’re now looking at a range of opportunities for increasing our long-term investment in the county.”