10 Nov 2026
The UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has been forced to step in after it emerged that windfarm operator Galileo Empower has failed to comply with safety legislation.
Jim Pearson, a retired Chartered Civil Engineer and Chartered Environmentalist, has spent the past two years requesting information on fundamental questions of health and safety compliance.
His concerns over regulatory breaches have forced the government watchdog HSE to take action.
With support from MP John Lamont, a letter from the Minister responsible for the Health and Safety Executive (Sir Stephen Timms) confirms that HSE has arranged a meeting with Galileo Empower, specifically to review its regulatory compliance.
Jim Pearson said: “I picked five windfarm projects at random – including the Gala North Substation proposed by Scottish Power and the Longmuir development planned by Galileo.
“I attended public meetings where various representatives of the developers appeared unaware of the appropriate regulations and the need to comply with core health and safety requirements.
“Through repeated Freedom of Information requests to the regulator (HSE) I then discovered that none of the five proposals had submitted essential safety documentation. That was a huge concern.
“These are vast industrial developments often involving two years or more of construction, new roads, quarrying on site and massive concrete mixing plants. They are among the largest construction projects in the UK. It is essential that the workers on site and neighbouring communities are protected and that the work is carried out safely. Safety should be the priority - not just during construction, but from the very first concept designs until the development is fully operational.
“The question now is, how many have been granted permission that were never – and still aren’t – compliant?”
The five proposed developments scrutinised by Mr Pearson are Gala North substation, Longmuir, Woodheads, Sheepfolds and Glenburnie, all proposals developed beyond the concept stage.
The SafetyOn 2025 Onshore Wind Health and Safety Incident Report showed a notable increase in serious safety incidents last year.
These jumped to 127, an increase of 31% year-on-year, compared to 97 incidents in 2024. Serious safety incidents are those likely to result in life-changing injury or death.
There were 669 onshore wind safety incidents reported in 2025, up from 654 in 2024. However, not all wind energy developers in the UK are members of SafetyOn, so the true figure may be far higher.
Graeme Steel, who lives on the site of the Longmuir windfarm proposed by Galileo Empower in countryside near Oxton, commented:
“This intervention by the regulator is not routine. It follows repeated concerns about lack of safety planning. HSE has already been forced to write to companies and the wider onshore wind sector to remind them of basic legal duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. From the outset Galileo has failed to demonstrate it understands — or is meeting — core health and safety requirements. Now the regulator is having to intervene directly.
“As director of a construction company myself, I’m shocked that a company of this size would be unaware of its responsibilities under CDM regulations. Galileo Empower is part of a huge global corporation, yet it still needs HSE to schedule meetings and inspections, just to get the basics right. This is beyond disgraceful. Local communities are being taken for a ride.”
Longmuir Wind Farm (previously Rowantree Wind Farm) was first rejected by Scottish Ministers in May 2014 after a Public Local Inquiry into the proposal.
Significant concerns were raised about its proximity to the UK’s only seismic monitoring station at Eskdalemuir and the environmental impact of the development – particularly on curlew and water vole habitats and rare bird territories.
Galileo Empower is a subsidiary of Galileo Green Energy, a global energy development company operating across Africa and in nine European markets: Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Its core investors are Australian and New Zealand pension funds.
Visualisation of Longmuir Windfarm by Claros Imaging.