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THE PROJECT PAGE

Background

Over the last few years RES has been exploring the potential for a wind farm at Kintradwell, approximately 8km north of Brora.

Kintradwell has good wind speeds, straightforward access off the A9, and is close to a grid connection point. The project was predicted to deliver around £4 million of inward investment in the form of jobs, employment, and the use of local services during construction and the first year of operation – as well as around £18.5 million in business rates to The Highland Council.

In addition, to maximise the benefits to the local area we partnered with local Brora firm, Edward Mackay Contractors, to help support local jobs from the project should it receive consent. For more information, please click here.

New onshore wind and large scale solar are now the cheapest forms of electricity generation, making onshore wind developments not only beneficial for the environment but also for consumers. With the recent COP26 event in Glasgow, there has never been a greater need for projects like Cairnmore Hill to help support Scotland’s longer-term goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2045 and to support a ‘green recovery’ within the region.

Design development

As part of the Environmental Impact Assessment, we undertook extensive survey work and environmental studies in order to build a thorough understanding of the site and a wealth of data has been gathered, providing a rigorous dataset to help develop the design. This information, together with feedback from the local community and key consultees, played an important part in the design development process over the years – including:

  • Turbine numbers being reduced from 22 to 17 (and recently, further to 15)
  • Turbines being moved off Col-Bheinn
  • Turbines to south of site being either removed or moved further back (northwards)
  • WWII plane crash sites (including associated debris) buffered to 100m

These changes resulted in reducing overall visibility, particularly from Brora and the Doll area, and helping protect more sensitive areas of the site in relation to ecology, ornithology and cultural heritage.

In February 2021, RES submitted a Section 36 application to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU) seeking consent for its 15-turbine Kintradwell Wind Farm proposal.

Planning determination

The Highland Council objected to the application under delegated powers in November 2021, triggering a public inquiry which took place across November 2022 and January 2023.

In November 2023, after receiving the public inquiry report, Scottish Ministers refused the scheme. To view the planning application documentation and subsequent refusal please visit the Scottish Government’s Department for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) website here.