Two Scottish wind farms named in probe into China ties
The Herald|Gabriel McKay|Jul 25, 2026
Two Scottish wind farms, Baillie and Berry Burn, are part of an investigation into Chinese state investments in Europe, facilitated through complex ownership structures involving offshore companies. The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project highlighted concerns about transparency and local benefits, noting that these farms are linked to China's SAFE, with partial ownership through various shell companies.
Two Scottish wind farms, Baillie and Berry Burn, are part of an investigation into Chinese state investments in Europe, facilitated through complex ownership structures involving offshore companies. The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project highlighted concerns about transparency and local benefits, noting that these farms are linked to China's SAFE, with partial ownership through various shell companies.
Two onshore Scottish wind farms have been named in a report into Chinese state investment in European countries via offshore companies and holdings in Luxembourg.
An investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project mapped European assets linked to the State Administration Of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), an agency overseen by China's central bank.
Included in the report are the Baillie wind farm in Thurso and Berry Burn near Forres.
The latter is owned by UK Wind Invest Ltd, which is 49% owned by SAFE with the majority share, 51%, owned by Statkraft UK Ltd which is ultimately owned by Norway's Ministry Of Trade, Industry And Fisheries.
The company was formed after the Norwegian government sold 49% of its stake Gingko Tree …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]Two onshore Scottish wind farms have been named in a report into Chinese state investment in European countries via offshore companies and holdings in Luxembourg.
An investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project mapped European assets linked to the State Administration Of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), an agency overseen by China's central bank.
Included in the report are the Baillie wind farm in Thurso and Berry Burn near Forres.
The latter is owned by UK Wind Invest Ltd, which is 49% owned by SAFE with the majority share, 51%, owned by Statkraft UK Ltd which is ultimately owned by Norway's Ministry Of Trade, Industry And Fisheries.
The company was formed after the Norwegian government sold 49% of its stake Gingko Tree Investment of China to fund investment.
Baillie is 100% owned by Baillie Wind Farm Holdings, which in turn is owned by UK Wind Invest Ltd.
SAFE is disclosed on Companies House as the ultimate 'person with significant control' for the company, but in the 49% of UK Wind Invest not owned by Statkraft was owned by JCSS Orkan S.à r.l - a Luxembourgois company - in its most recent accounts.
The complex structure of many of SAFE's investments, which were identified in eight countries, usually involve various shell companies in Luxembourg ultimately controlled by entities in the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven.
Engin Eroğlu, a German member of the European Parliament told OCCRP: "We already know from the US that Chinese companies, some of which are state-owned, specifically buy land adjacent to military facilities… A similar problem could therefore arise in Europe if we do not gain a clear overview of this non-transparent approach."
Mario Esteban, a professor in East Asian studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid said: "There's a fine line between avoiding overdependence and ending up demonizing all investment that comes from China.
“I think we need a narrative with a little more caution, and an understanding that some of these investments can genuinely generate added value for our country.
"It's not exclusive to China, there's a more generalised trend toward opacity."
The Herald previously revealed that research has indicated local communities see few benefits from onshore wind farms.
The Scottish Government sets a minimum recommended payment of £5,000 per megawatt produced, but that payment is entirely voluntary.
During the period studied the 261 developers paid out £147m in benefits to communities near wind farms, with many receiving less than the recommended minimum and some nothing at all.
In its most recent accounts Baillie Wind Farm made £8.5m in profit and proposed paying out £6.4m in dividends.
It donated £189,727 to local charities.
Berry Burn made £9m and proposed and paid dividends of £11.6m while making charitable donations of £246,965.