Pupils at Sgoil Uibhist a Tuath joined UistWind and North Uist Development Company for an exciting morning of interactive activities on Friday 27 October 2023. 

Children from P5 and P6, dressed in hard hats and hi-vis vests, visited the two wind turbines at Criongrabhal near Clachan-na-Luib and found them to be ‘mind blowing’ and ‘phenomenal’ after hearing how they were developed, constructed and how they now operate.

Afterwards, the pupils visited the old Lochmaddy School Environment Centre to see the exhibition, to build a wind turbine and carry out some mini experiments, and most importantly, to use all the knowledge they had gained on the day and their own creativity to propose names for the wind turbines.
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The two Enercon 900kW E44 wind turbines became operational in autumn 2019.  UistWind celebrated with an open day which included a group of young pupils from Sgoil Uibhist a Tuath cutting the ribbon to mark the passing of the torch to the younger generation who will benefit from the future income generated by the turbines and the wind turbines’ contribution to the fight against global warming through electricity generation.

Andrew Ross of UistWind said “The wind turbines are currently called Turbine 1 and Turbine 2, which the Management Committee of UistWind thought is a bit boring, and as the wind turbines are owned and operated by the community for the community of North Uist, it is about time people in the community of North Uist give their turbines a name”.

The pupils came up with a lot of great suggestions, and these have been shortlisted to the following pairs, and UistWind are very grateful to pupils and teachers at Sgoil Uibhist a Tuath for their support:
 
UistWind have placed ballot boxes around North Uist where you’ll be able to vote for your favourite pair.  An online voting form is also available via a QR code or the following website: https://forms.office.com/e/fuY8czpAGP.  Voting will close on Monday the 18th of December, and the names will be announced in the new year alongside some more exciting news including another opportunity to become a member of the Community Benefit Society.

UistWind has overcome numerous challenges since its origin including the more recent subsea cable insurance exclusion which has directed a need for larger reserves, but with the repayment of the junior Energy Investment Fund loan and further progress, the Management Committee are hopeful the community benefit fund will be realised in the near future.  The project aims to generate more than £2 million over the project’s lifetime, with profits accelerating further into the project and going back to the community through the community benefit fund and its community investment plan. ​

Do you have administration skills, finance skills, management skills and/or highly prized common sense? - then UistWind needs you!

To prepare for the Annual Members' Meeting we are sending a call to all Members to ask for Member nominations to be elected onto the Management Committee. 

If you are interested in finding out more details about what is involved please write to the Company address or email info@uistwind.comand, or if you would like to nominate yourself to be elected onto the Management Committee, please complete this form https://forms.office.com/e/7vGJWDnWvJ 

There are many different aspects to get involved in and your contribution to the Management Committee would be greatly appreciated.  The deadline for nominations is the 9th of October, after which we will send out the ballot papers for the election process.

Job Title: Operations Manager 
Employer: North Uist Development Company (Trading) Limited (Uist Wind)
Salary: £30,030 pro-rata (0.4FTE – 14 hours per week)

Closing date for applications: 5pm Monday 14 February

Are you a jack-of-all-trades?  Do you know your Net from your Gross?  Do you get excited at the thought of wearing hard hats?  Do you believe variety is the spice of life?  

If so, apply now, for the new part-time Operations Manager vacancy at North Uist Development Company (Trading) Limited.

This new senior position will report directly to the Management Committee of the North Uist Development Company (Trading) Limited to manage the Community Benefit Society’s operational business needs, working with the asset managers to maximise the revenue generated from the Company’s two 900kW wind turbines at Criongrabhal near Clachan-na-Luib in North Uist.

The successful candidate will need to be self-motivated and dedicated with an affinity for the aims and objectives of the project; as well as having a quick mind and the enthusiasm to switch from liaising with engineers one day to sending out a newsletter or updating the accounts on Xero the next.  The candidate will need a business mindset to be able to update the business plan annually, with technical knowhow to be able to translate technical jargon for the 220 investor Members, the Management Committee and the wider public.  Strong communication and interpersonal skills are imperative, and the candidate must be experienced in financial administration, IT literate and with some project management experience to be able to update risk assessments and a risk register.  They will also have a good understanding of the issues affecting fragile rural areas.  Knowledge of, and affinity, for the locality is advantageous. 

Applicants should submit their CV and a covering letter to info@uistwind.com or by post to NUDCT, Claddach Kirkibost Centre, Isle of North Uist, HS6 5EP by the closing date of 5pm Monday 14 February     

Download the full job description here

To read our latest Newsletter including details about the next Annual Members' Meeting and a call for nominations, see ​https://mailchi.mp/f613e034ec88/merry-christmas-uistwind