A renewable energy firm is seeking community support for a plan to build a giant windfarm in the Scottish Borders.
Muirhall Energy plans to develop a windfarm featuring up to 75 turbines on forestry and farmland to the east of the village of Teviothead around six miles south of Hawick.
The company reckons the Teviot windfarm would be able to generate the equivalent annual electricity consumption of 460,000 homes. It would be expected to cost around £600m to develop.
Proposals for windfarms have faced opposition from some local residents in parts of Scotland on the grounds of their impact on the environment.
Muirhall Energy has said the Teviot windfarm could generate £3.6 million benefits a year for people in the area through a Community Investment Fund it plans to establish.
It held out the prospect the fund would be in operation for 40 years, meaning the benefits could be worth £144m in total.
The company also plans to offer the local community a stake of up to 10 per cent in the windfarm.
Jamie Leslie, Project Manager at Muirhall Energy, said: “We believe that Teviot Wind Farm is a truly innovative and socially-equitable development that offers an opportunity for local people to become part owners of the project and to benefit directly from the revenues generated.”
On its website Muirhall Energy says the site of the proposed development offers good wind speed. It is outwith any national or local landscape or nature designation and has been identified by Scottish Borders Council as an area of potential for wind farm development.
Privately-owned Muirhall has worked on a range of wind farm projects across the UK.
Windfarms in Scotland have attracted strong interest from investors based outside the country.
Muirhall sold the 15-turbine Tormywheel development in West Lothian to funds managed by the BlackRock investment business after completing work on the project. https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/19164985.windfarm-near-hawick-generate-funds-community-says-developer/?fbclid=IwAR1duS-JR1cTFgBZNlqTQx4V_Lh64MCM1QtLaacgy_1DoPsobCaiDqrlGaY
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