by Craig Richard
A developer has proposed building an up to 560MW wind farm that could
become the UK’s largest onshore project.
Community Windpower’s operational portfolio consists of seven Scottish wind
farms with a combined capacity of 221.25MW
If built, CWL Energy’s 80-turbine Scoop Hill wind farm in south-west
Scotland would be larger than SSE’s 349.6MW Clyde project and Scottish
Power’s Whitelee site, which has twice been extended, bringing its total
capacity to 539MW.
The developer, a sister company of Community Windpower, anticipates using
as many as 80 turbines with power ratings of 5-7MW and tip-heights of
200-240 metres, according to a scoping report submitted to the Scottish
government.
Using turbines with larger tip heights and power ratings is necessary to
maximise output and create economies of scale to drive down costs after the
UK government’s withdrawal of support for onshore wind, the developer
explained.
Its planned Scoop Hill wind farm, which would be built on forestry near a
motorway in Dumfries and Galloway near the border with England, would be
more than double the capacity of developer CWL’s existing operational
portfolio.
The site could also feature energy storage and solar PV facilities, the
developer suggested.
Having submitted the scoping report for Scoop Hill, CWL will carry out a
consultation with nearby community councils and adapt the project’s design
based on feedback.
It will then carry out another consultation and further review of the
project, before submitting an environmental impact assessment and later a
full planning application.
CWL is currently consulting with wildlife groups and heritage societies,
having first discussed the project with the Scottish wing of the Royal
Society for the Preservation of Birds and Scottish Natural Heritage in 2017.
An application will be lodged only after “extensive dialogue and
consultation with local community and stakeholders”, the developer stated.
Eventually, Scottish ministers would need to determine the project’s
planning application as it has a generating capacity of more than 50MW, CWL
noted.
The developer has not yet suggested a potential commissioning date, and has
not explained how the project would be funded.
CWL has also submitted a planning application for a 45-turbine, 315MW wind
farm, also in Dumfries and Galloway.
It intends to use turbines with 7MW power ratings and 179.5 – 200 metre tip
heights at its proposed Faw Side wind farm, according to the planning document.
The developer’s operational wind power portfolio consists of seven Scottish
projects with a combined capacity of 221.25MW.
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