​The opportunity will open on the 1st of June and end on the 31st of August.  People can register their interest by submitting a form online or via the post.  

The terms and conditions of the purchase of the short Share Offer will be the same as the original 2018 share offer and viewed as a long term investment.  The original community share offer document and further details on this summer’s opportunity can be found on the UistWind website www.uistwind.com.  Shares are valued at £1 per share with a minimum number of shares of 250.   

The Management Committee will carry out a fair and equitable review of expressions of interest from both existing Members and new interested parties, supported by Community Shares Scotland.  The Management Committee will then ‘match’ new interest with withdrawal interest from existing Members.  A formal application form will then be provided to those selected to become a new Member, alongside a request for payment.

UistWind’s aims and objectives to generate income for community benefit are on track and UistWind is currently working with financial advisers QMPF on a new financial model to support financial projections and decision making.  

“This is a really interesting time to join UistWind after almost 5 years of being operational, as we plan the next phase of the project to shape the community benefit fund.

“We are particularly keen for local younger people to join UistWind, and are open to consortia applications where a number of local residents may wish to come together to share the minimum number of shares, with one vote for each consortia.  We are also keen for expressions of interest from local residents who would be interested in volunteer and Committee roles”. 

Uist Wind is delighted to announce the results of its recent naming competition for the two community-owned wind turbines at Clachan-na-Luib.
 
An day of activities was held in October with the children of Sgoil Uibhist a Tuath at which a list of names was produced, followed by a community vote conducted online and via the North Uist shops. A pair of names emerged as the most popular.
 
They are Fionn Fuamhaire and Flòraidh Fuamhaire, being respectively Giant Finn and Giant Flora. The wind turbines will likely be referred to as ‘the giants’ from now onwards. 
 
The name Fionn was selected by the pupils because of its association with Finn’s People or Pobuill Fhinn, the stone circle near Langass Lodge in North Uist, which were probably named after the legendary hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, while Flòraidh was chosen in recognition of the famous Flora MacDonald.
 
The epithet ‘fuamhaire’ was chosen because the children’s main impression when they were up close to the turbines was of their impressive size and scale, using the terms ‘magnificent’ ‘enormous’ ‘massive’ and ‘phenomenal’..
 
“It has always been the intention to give the turbines names,” explains Andrew Ross, Chair of North Uist Development Company (Trading), which is managing the project on behalf of the community. “This is in line with what has been done at other community-owned island renewable projects, such as the Dancing Ladies in Gigha and Tilley on Tiree. The fact that we have now done this makes it feel that the project has passed another milestone in its development. We know that this is a long term project and we were all most impressed at how the children grasped the notion that it is ‘their’ project, which is going to be benefitting their community in the coming years.
 
“It is also an appropriate moment to express thanks to Catherine MacLeod who stood down recently as our Chair and whose hard work and commitment over the last ten years has been critical to helping us get to this point.”
 
The names Fionn and Flòraidh will feature on-site at some point in the future. They will also be used for the planned walk, which local student Hannah MacDonald was kindly developing during her time as a volunteer over the summer for both Uist Wind and North Uist Development Company.  Hannah is now a Community Officer for the Islands Centre for Net Zero in the Outer Hebrides (ICNZ).
 
The walk in development aims to lead up to the turbine site, with information boards along the way, explaining the project from development to operation, adding the story of the naming of the turbines and how the names came about, with some explanation about the landscape and signposting of points of interest, and connecting with the Environment Centre in the Old Lochmaddy School for a more detailed explanation of the local environment.

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.
​
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 [email protected], 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 [email protected] 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