Press Release:
EDINBURGH, 24 April 2025:
Spiorad na Mara – a proposed offshore windfarm, located approximately 5-13km off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis – is launching a new scholarships programme for final-year secondary school pupils from across the Outer Hebrides, to support studies in STEM and Gaelic language and culture in Scottish universities.
Five scholarships are initially available, with successful applicants receiving a total of £10,000 each, with £2,500 being paid out every year for a four-year degree course. Applications will be invited for the next four academic years, with a total commitment of £200,000 being made by the project over the next seven years, supporting 20 students1.
Denise Horan, Consultation and Local Engagement Lead for the project, explained the rationale behind the programme.
“We are committed to leaving a positive legacy locally through the delivery of the proposed Spiorad na Mara project and this is a practical demonstration of that commitment. There is a rich tradition of education and learning on the islands and investing in supporting that is an investment in the future of these islands.
“We chose the two areas of study carefully, STEM because it is key to developing a local workforce for the many roles that will be available in the renewables sector in the decades ahead and Gaelic language and culture because of the heritage of the islands and the deep love of the language and all it represents.
“We would encourage all eligible students to consider applying. The application process is not too onerous and there’s an opportunity for students to be really creative in their submissions.”
The programme is open to all final-year students at the four secondary schools in the Outer Hebrides: the Nicolson Institute (Lewis), Sir E Scott (Harris), Sgoil Lionacleit (Uist) and Sgoil Bagh a Chaisteil (Barra).
The five scholarships available include three to support studies in STEM and two to support studies in Gaelic language and culture.
The programme is now open for applications for the 2025/26 academic year, with applicants required to submit a short personal statement plus a project or piece of work based on the theme ‘Energy in a changing world’. The deadline for submissions is 20 June 2025 and all applications received will be assessed by an independent panel.
The independent assessment panel members – all of whom live in, or have strong connections to, the islands – are: Catriona Morrison, Gaelic Language Policy Manager with Historic Environment Scotland; Erinn Nicolson, a pharmacist from Lewis now based in Glasgow; Euan Scott, a project officer for Barra and Vatersay Community Ltd; Sally Reynolds, Natural Capital Community Partnerships Manager with Community Land Scotland; and Seumas Mactaggart, Head of Development & Co-Productions at MacTV in Stornoway.
To find out more and submit your application, visit the project website at www.spioradnamara.co.uk
Spiorad na Mara is owned by Northland Power (75.5%) and ESB (24.5%), with Northland leading on the development, construction, and operation.
Contact:
Steve Thomas
Communications Lead, Northland Power
+44 (0)7359 614023
steve.thomas@northlandpower.com
About Spiorad na Mara
Spiorad na Mara is a proposed offshore wind farm, located approximately 5-13 km off the west coast of Lewis. With an expected installed capacity of around 900 MW, it could meet the equivalent average annual electricity needs of around 1.2 million1 Scottish homes with renewable electricity and save more than 1.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year.
Further information is available at www.spioradnamara.co.uk
1 Should a decision be taken at any point between 2025 and 2028 that the project will not proceed, no new intake of students into the programme would be accepted. However, commitments made to students who had already received a scholarship would be honoured, up to the end of their four-year programme.
About Northland Power
Northland Power is a global power producer dedicated to helping the clean energy transition by producing electricity from clean renewable resources. Founded in 1987, Northland has a long history of developing, building, owning and operating clean and green power infrastructure assets and is a global leader in offshore wind. In addition, Northland owns and manages a diversified generation mix including onshore renewables, efficient natural gas energy, as well as supplying energy through a regulated utility.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with global offices in eight countries, Northland owns or has an economic interest in approximately 3.2GW (net 2.8GW) of operating capacity. The Company also has
a significant inventory of projects in construction and in various stages of development encompassing approximately 12GW of potential capacity.
Publicly traded since 1997, Northland’s common shares, Series 1 and Series 2 preferred shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols NPI, NPI.PR.A and NPI.PR.B, respectively.
For further information visit www.northlandpower.com.
About ESB
ESB is involved in six offshore wind projects and 2GW of onshore wind projects in Scotland, as part of its drive for a 5GW renewable electricity portfolio across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain by 2030. Since its foundation almost 100 years ago, ESB has always been fully invested in the lives of the customers and communities we serve. We have set a target to achieve net zero by 2040 and have committed to do this in a way that enables communities and natural habitats to thrive. Our focus is on developing and connecting renewables, building resilient infrastructure and empowering our customers to live healthier, more sustainable lives using clean electricity.
