Leading renewables developer OnPath Energy has chosen Tom Chaplin to take the lead on its community work across England.
Tom has joined the Sunderland-headquartered firm as its new partnership & community manager and will be working with local residents, community groups, landowners and other stakeholders in the areas around OnPath’s nine English onshore wind farms, as well as in locations where new renewable energy projects are being planned or built.
Tom began his career in the television industry, working as an assistant director on a range of well-known programmes, including Monarch Of The Glen and Peak Practice, before becoming a scriptwriter on series including Dream Team and Eastenders.
He returned to the North East in 2007, moving into the communications sector and taking a Master’s degree at Newcastle University Business School.
He has since worked in a number of regional marketing and stakeholder engagement roles, including with the Port of Blyth and the Catapult National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth.
Tom Chaplin says: “After nearly a decade working in renewables, I’ve found that the stakeholder engagement work I’ve done in that time has been the most rewarding part of the job and the opportunity to do that full time with OnPath Energy is something I’m relishing.
“It gives me the chance to get involved with a wide range of developing and mature projects, and to have a real impact on the business’s success through the positive relationships that we develop across our communities.
“I’ve had a really warm welcome from the team and am enjoying starting to get to know the people and places that I’m going to be working with.”
OnPath Energy is one of the UK onshore renewable energy sector’s leading owner/operators and has two onshore wind farms in its native North East – the Lambs Hill Wind Farm near Stockton and the Moor House Wind Farm near Darlington.
The two wind farms generated over 56,000 MWh of electricity between them during 2024, which is enough to meet the average annual electricity needs of more than 19,300 homes, while as part of the company’s OnPath Together value-led approach, they also delivered combined revenues of more than £51,000 last year to their respective community benefits funds.
Robin Winstanley, sustainability and community director at OnPath Energy, adds: “We place people, communities and planet at the heart of everything we do, and believe that better projects come through listening, collaborating and delivering with care and consideration.
“Tom has a very impressive track record in effective and meaningful stakeholder engagement and is an excellent addition to the OnPath community team.”