A number of major renewable energy developers from EU nations have
submitted a range of planning applications to the Scot-Govt for permission
to build new, or to extend existing, consented and/or built wind turbine farms.
German-owned Energiekontor UK has earmarked moorland near Lairg in
Sutherland for its latest venture, which would have the potential to
produce 54.6mw of electricity.
The scheme is at an early stage, with the company going through a scoping
process before firming up an environmental impact study, which it would
table along with a planning application.
The firm is looking to erect 13 turbines, with an blade tip height of
around 588ft, on rough grazing land two-an-a-half miles from Lairg.
Andrew Mackay, chairman of Lairg Community Council, said : “The developers
had hoped to put up more than three on the existing windfarm but they were
cut back because of the presence of rare birds such as hen harriers and red
and black throated divers – presumably that will again be an issue this time.”
Lewis Wind Power – which is a joint venture by the mostly-nuclear French
energy giant EDF and Aberdeen-based Wood Group – has submitted a ‘scoping
application’ (which is a kind of pre-application ‘how’s about’ query) to
the Scot-Govt for a wind farm in the Hebrides.
Lewis Wind Power wants to build a 33-turbine, 200-MW wind farm near
Stornoway in partnership with the local Stornoway Trust.
Twenty-four of the turbines would have a blade-tip height of up to 187m and
a rotor diameter of up to 164m, while the remaining nine would have a blade
to tip height of up to 155m and rotor diameter of 135m.
The Wood Group is also acting as planning agent for another German-owned
wind farm development in Scotland.
Big Six energy provider Eon wants to increase the height of the turbine
towers at the Benbrack wind farm, near Dalmellington in Dumfries-shire from
130m to just under 150m.
If these ‘scoping reports’ are approved by the Scottish Energy Minister,
formal S.36 planning applications – which are consequently also likely to
be approved – will be submitted.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh-based Willowind Linfair Ltd has withdrawn its
application to build a new wind turbine farm in South Ayrshire.
The company provided no reasons for its decision to withdraw its plans for
its 54-MW, 17-turbine Linfairn development.
1 Comment
Ian Miller · July 26, 2018 at 9:34 am
Scots developer dumping the Ayrshire project declined to say why, but obviously they didn’t like to admit publicly that the expressed huge public revulsion was the reason.