Three community landowners have joined forces to develop a plan for a new community-owned windfarm in north-west Lewis.
The organisations behind the project, which is expected to comprise of nine turbines, with hub heights of up to 110 metres, Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (Galson Estate Trust), Urras Oighreachd Bharabhais (Barvas Estate Trust) and Urras Oighreachd Chàrlabhaigh (Carloway Estate Trust), have formed West Coast Community Energy Ltd. to deliver the venture.
Once the project has been completed, surplus income from the turbines will be distributed amongst the three organisations and used for social regeneration purposes within these community-owned estates across the West of Lewis.
Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn is currently the only community landowner of the group to have an independent income source from its wind turbine array at Baile an Truiseil. As a result, it has been able to employ 15 staff and provides a range of social programmes to residents, such as a three-month winter health and wellbeing programme and holiday activities for children throughout the year, as well as delivering key projects and distributing grant support to locally run groups.
Located on moorland close to Barvas, the 43 MegaWatts (MW) project’s location was selected based on a range of technical considerations and was the preferred choice of key statutory bodies that were consulted at the feasibility stage.
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David Macmillan, chair of West Coast Community Energy Ltd., commented: “This is a very ambitious project and will be the largest community-owned windfarm in the UK if it proceeds. Given recent messaging over diminishing grid capacity, the provision of a firm connection offer came as a surprise and has created significant momentum. It is just a first stage, however, in obtaining a connection to export electricity to the grid and there are a raft of obstacles in front of the community landowners. We will have to work with various funding and technical partners to continue making progress in the months and years ahead. We are grateful to the Local Energy Scotland and Community Led Local Development teams for funding support to date, and to Locogen for technical advice, which have enabled us to reach this stage.”
Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) and Community Led Local Development grants have been drawn down to deliver a range of economic and technical advice over the last five years. The project is being administered by Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn during the early stages of planning until West Coast Community Energy Ltd. is able to employ its own staff.
Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn chairperson, Agnes Rennie, added: “We see this as one of our key foundation stones for the future in order that we can continue our community regeneration efforts for the next generation as well. The existing wind assets at Baile an Truiseil have proved to be transformational for the area and Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn is pleased to be able to share some of its resources to ensure that this vital project keeps on track.”
Despite low expectations for securing grid capacity, a firm grid offer was provided by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and was accepted in September. The proposed connection timeframe is October 2033. Milestones within the grid offer set out timescales for undertaking ecological and soil surveys and submitting a planning application. Consequently, winter ecological surveys are already underway. A further application is now being made to Scottish Hydro Electricity Transmission Ltd. to assess the technical impacts of the interconnector from Arnish to the mainland.
The project will come under the imminent Connections Reform changes being implemented by Ofgem and the National Energy Systems Operator.
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