MACARTHUR Green, the ecological consultancy which provided key seabird advice for the £3bn Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm, has won the Judges Award at the prestigious Scottish Green Energy Awards.
The accolade is in recognition of the business’s growth – from zero to 20 employees and a turnover of almost £2m in just five years – and its involvement with key industry projects. Also credited by the judges was MacArthur Green’s ability to work with statutory bodies like the Scottish Government, Scottish Natural Heritage and DEFRA to simplify common processes for developers.
The company, based in Glasgow’s West End, was established by David MacArthur as a one-man-band in a tiny office in 2009 during the depths of the recession. David, who spent six years as a Senior Ecologist at ScottishPower Renewables, now employs 20 people. His wife Kirsty, a planning and environmental lawyer, joined the company in 2011 as Legal Director.
He said: “We’re over the moon to receive this award. We’ve had a great few years which have been made possible by a strong team, fabulous clients and the fact that we are lucky enough to work in renewables, which is a fantastic industry.”
“It’s great to see our team of ecology and ornithology experts receiving recognition for their knowledge and professionalism, and I’m delighted to see ecology being recognised as an award-winning profession in the renewables industry.”
MacArthur Green provides ecological advice to companies who build renewable energy projects such as onshore and offshore wind farms and also to government agencies advising on these schemes. The company’s staff undertake surveys for a range of wildlife and habitats, from bats to birds to fragile peat-land to assess whether sites are suitable for development.
David, who studied economics at Strathclyde University after graduating as an ecologist from the University of Edinburgh, added: “What we do is to provide consistently high quality ecological advice and combine this with our commercial knowledge of the practicalities involved in developing renewable energy projects” .
“We want to help clients gain approval for their projects by suggesting ways in which their ecological impact can be mitigated, and that often requires a business brain whilst keeping a clear focus on the science too.”
MacArthur Green’s clients include ScottishPower Renewables, PNE Wind UK, and RES UK and Ireland. Expansion is planned into the UK and Europe in the year ahead.
