Scottish Government
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Renewable projects approved
Wind farm development and biomass station given go-ahead.
Planning consent has been granted for two renewable energy projects that will benefit local communities in Fife and the Highlands.
Scottish Ministers have granted consent for a 20-turbine wind farm at Moy, near Inverness, and a combined heat and power biomass plant for the Port of Rosyth.
The Moy wind farm, which represents a £65 million investment by developer Eneco Wind UK Ltd, will have 20 turbines with a generating capacity of up to 66MW. It could power the equivalent of approximately 31,000 homes in the area.
The Rosyth plant, a £325 million investment by Forth Energy, would provide low carbon energy to the local area, and the equivalent of over 40 per cent of the Fife Council area’s electricity needs would be met by the development.
Both projects would lead to the creation of a significant number of jobs, with the Rosyth plant bringing up to 500 jobs to the area during construction, and 70 operational jobs based at the port. Forth Energy estimates the project will deliver £26 million of annual economic benefit per year to the area.
There will be up to 60 workers employed at the Moy wind farm during construction, and the development will also provide approximately £7.5 million towards community benefit projects over 25 years.
Granting consent for the Moy wind farm, John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, said:
“The Moy wind farm will create a significant number of jobs, as well as generating power for many thousands of homes.
“Projects like this provide considerable benefits to the local community, and play an important part in helping Scotland reach its target of 100 per cent of electricity demand generated from renewables.
“The Scottish Government wants to see the right developments in the right places, and Scottish planning policy is clear that the design and location of renewables projects should reflect the scale and character of the landscape, as well as being considered environmentally acceptable.”
Consenting the Rosyth biomass plant, Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said:
“The combined heat and power plant at the Port of Rosyth will create hundreds of jobs during its construction, and while in operation will continue to support local employment while generating renewable power for local business and industry.
“In consenting this application I have put in place a series of conditions to protect local residents from inconvenience, and protect the environment and air quality. The conditions to the consent also ensure that the fuel used in the biomass is from sustainable and responsible sources.”
Notes to editors
- The Scottish Government has determined 91 energy applications, including consent for 60 renewable applications: 35 onshore wind, one offshore wind, 19 hydro, four wave and tidal and three Renewable Thermal Plants, and 19 non-renewable projects since May 2007. The Scottish Government has previously rejected 10 energy applications since May 2007, all of which were onshore wind farms.
- The Scottish Government’s Energy Consents and Deployment Unit is currently considering another 56 applications of greater than 50MW capacity generating stations, including 52 onshore wind applications, one renewable hydro application, one non-renewable hydro applications, and two renewable thermal applications. In addition to this there are 13 active applications for overhead lines, and one application for a Water Rights Order associated with a hydro development.
