May 13, 2011
Scotland

Cairnryan windfarm plans exclusively revealed

The Galloway Gazette, www.gallowaygazette.co.uk 12 May 2011

Plans for a 36-turbine windfarm near Cairnryan are being put forward by Scottish Power Renewables, the Galloway Gazette can exclusively reveal.

The company are planning to submit a planning application in “late 2011” for the windfarm at Glen App and Loch Ree which will use turbines no higher than 126.5 metres high with a generating capacity of 108 megawatts.

Four public information days are planned by the company which says will bring economic benefits to the area during its construction and operation phases as well as providing some local employment.

The company says it is currently working on environmental assessments on the site and has yet to decide on the scale of the turbines and the layout, number of turbines could all change following consultation.

It says that community benefits could include annual payments to local communities throughout the life of the windfarm.

Scottish Power Renewables says the site offers “good” wind speed, significant benefits in terms of generating capacity, reductions in climate change emissions, accessibility for construction traffic and the absence of any ecological designations.

A spokesman for Scottish Power Renewables said: “Aracleoch was a similiar sized development and at its peak there were nearly 500 staff on site. We always instruct our primary contractors to utilise local contractors and staff as much as possible.

“To this end we will have a “meet the developer day” for local companies where they can meet primary contractors and people can see the ways they can get involved.

“We will have four public information days where people will be able to see what is proposed. We want to tell people about the project and let them know how they can get involved. Community involvement is a big part of it, we believe it is important to have community involvement and we are open to looking at people’s ideas and options for community involvement.

“There are various methods of administering and managing windfarm derived community benefits according to the area they are located. We will be seeking local views on this and are keen to hear from all sections of the surrounding communities on this matter. The open days are a great opportunity to meet the project team and give us your feedback.”

Public information days are to take place in Cairnryan, Stranraer, Ballantrae and Kirkcolm at the end of this month.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/05/13/cairnryan-windfarm-plans-exclusively-revealed/