THE firm behind two Scottish wind farms has been bought after collapsing into administration.
Ripple Energy, which ran the Kirk Hill wind farm in South Ayrshire and the Whitelaw Brae wind farm in the Scottish Borders – which is still under development – called in liquidators in March.
Administrators with Begbies Traynor said they were in “advanced discussions with a number of interested parties” about a takeover of Ripple, adding that there was likely to be “no disruption to the service during the sale process”.
The energy firm, which was founded in 2017, offered people savings on their energy bills by buying stakes in community-owned energy projects.
On Thursday, 1st Energy announced that it had acquired Ripple Energy’s assets and would “protect and preserve the community-led structure Ripple pioneered”.
The firm said that the takeover had been effective from April 4. However, the under-construction Whitelaw Brae wind farm will remain under administrators’ control.
Gary Christian, managing director at 1st Energy, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ripple customers to the 1st Energy Family.
“It became immediately clear through our conversations with Ripple and their administrators that there was a shared ambition to protect and preserve the community-led structure Ripple pioneered.
“We are fully committed and have taken all necessary measures to ensure that all Ripple customers’ green energy journey will continue with minimal disruption.”
1st Energy said it had opened communication with co-operative board members and energy supplier representatives to “ensure a smooth transition and safeguard ongoing energy savings and services”.
The firm said its “immediate attention will be directed towards the Ripple Energy’s three active project sites – Graig Fatha Windfarm, Kirkhill Wind Farm, Derril Water Solar Farm”.
It added: “The Whitelaw Brae site, which is currently under construction, will remain under the control of the administrators, as customers related to this site will receive updates directly from the administrators in due course.”
1st Energy said it is committed to transparency and regular communication as developments progress.
Renews reported that Ripple Energy had seen job redundancies in the transition.
Begbies Traynor partner Craig Povey added: “We worked hard to make sure that this accelerated sale did not disrupt the service to customers and are pleased that services can now resume.
“It is, however, unfortunate that redundancies at Ripple have had to be made as part of the process. But under the ownership of 1st Energy the structure of this business has the potential to move forward and grow as UK consumers seek more renewable energy.”
