April 10, 2015
Scotland

Energy firm to table bid for 16-turbine windfarm in Perthshire

By Jamie Buchan | The Courier | 10 April 2015 | www.thecourier.co.uk

A planning application is being drawn up for a major windfarm in east Perthshire.

Green energy firm ABO Wind UK is poised to table its proposal for the 11-turbine Green Burn development, near Alyth.

It wants to build on 660 acres of sheep-grazing land at Shieldrum Farm, near Bridge of Cally. If approved, the development would sit next to the 16-turbine Drumberg development, launched by Scottish and Southern Energy seven years ago.

Members of the council’s development management committee will be asked to consider a pre-application report on the project next week.

They will be encouraged to raise any issues which may be relevant to the planning process but are not allowed to comment on the plans.

The 415ft turbines would provide up to 33 megawatts of electricity when fully operational, ABO Wind said.

The east part of the site is within the Dun Moss and Forest of Alyth Mires, a conservation zone classed as an official site of special scientific interest.

Around 100 people took part in a series of public consultations on the development in February. The results are expected to be submitted, along with a full planning application and environmental impact assessment, this summer.

Once the paperwork has been lodged, there will be a month-long consultation exercise before a final decision is made.

A spokeswoman for the developer said: “The proposed Green Burn site has been identified as being a suitable location for a windfarm due to the following: good wind resource, the availability of connection to the national grid and good transport infrastructure around the site.”

She said the site was also within a “broad area of search” for wind energy schemes identified by Perth and Kinross Council.

If the plans go ahead, the first turbines could be swung into place next year and the farm could be fully operational by the end of 2017.

ABO Wind said that a community benefit fund could see £165,000 ploughed into the local area each year.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/04/10/energy-firm-to-table-bid-for-16-turbine-windfarm-in-perthshire/