PLANS for a windfarm near Moffat have been redesigned, including cutting the turbine numbers from 75 to 60.
Community Windpower Limited (CWL) this week announced changes to the Scoop Hill Community Wind Farm scheme, which is located five kilometres south east of the town.
The firm’s proposal was originally submitted to the Scottish Government and Dumfries and Galloway Council in November 2020 but the changes were made following consultation with the local community.
CWL said that during the consultation period, comments were raised by consultees and local residents, primarily relating to landscape and visual impacts, residential amenity, cultural heritage, dark skies and golden eagles.
And they claim that removing 15 turbines is equivalent to a reduction of 20 per cent of the original proposal.
In addition, there will be reduction in the tip heights of four turbines in the southern part of the scheme.
Furthermore, they have also adopted a reduced aviation night-time lighting scheme, which has now been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Defence. It includes the lighting of just 17 perimeter turbines with visible aviation lighting on the nacelle only, described as “a significant improvement compared to the original submission”.
Additional Information documentation will be submitted to the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) in spring and will include a detailed explanation of all the changes.
And in the coming months, Community Windpower will be attending community council meetings locally and holding public exhibitions to discuss the alterations.
Senior project manager Rebecca Elliott said: “We are delighted to present these design alterations for our next-generation scheme at Scoop Hill.
“We have taken on board comments raised by consultees and the local community and have made significant, positive changes to the proposed layout, whilst also ensuring that clean, green energy will be generated to assist the Scottish Government with its Just Transition to Net Zero by 2045.
“I look forward to discussing the updated proposal with the community in the coming months.”
Meanwhile, CWL also announced that the community benefit funding provided to the host communities will now be £5000 per megawatt, which will equate to £2.16 million per annum for the 40-year operational life of the wind farm.
