December 14, 2012
Scotland

No SBC objection to plans for Firth of Forth wind farm

The Berwickshire News | 13 December 2012 | www.berwickshirenews.co.uk

An offshore windfarm has been approved following assurances that the development would not have a significant visual impact on the region.

The planning application for the Neart Na Goithe wind farm in the Firth of Forth were originally submitted in August.

Although the turbines are off the Fife coast the cables bringing the power produced from them are planned to come ashore at Thorntonloch near Torness, the electricity feeding into the National Grid at a new substation at Crystal Rig II, in the Lammermuir Hills.

Applicants Mainstream Renewable Power estimate the economic benefit for Scotland of the wind farm, which will have between 75 and 125 turbines, will be between £118-570 million and over the first 25 years it could generate up to 11,000 jobs.

The turbines in the Neart Na Goithe development will stand at a projected height of 197 metres, spread over 105km but research suggests the only places in Berwickshire they will be visible from are Coldingham Moor and St Abbs Head and even then taking weather into consideration it’s estimated they will only be seen 47 per cent of any given year.

SBC’s planning officer concluded: “At over 30km to the north of the Borders the visual and landscape impacts would be

at worst moderate and would be minor or negligible from many receptors.”

As part of the consultation process East Lothian Council are also due to submit their opinion on the application.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/12/14/no-sbc-objection-to-plans-for-firth-of-forth-wind-farm/