Euchanhead Renewable Energy Development

Location

Located on the National Forest Estate of Euchanhead, south west Scotland, within Dumfries and Galloway, the site comprises three separate forest areas (Euchanhead, Polskeoch and Shinnelhead) to the south west of Sanquhar.

Current Stage

In October 2020 ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) submitted a Section 36 Application to the Scottish Government for Euchanhead Renewable Energy Development. The proposed Development comprises 21 wind turbines with blade tip heights of up to 230 metres and an associated energy storage facility. The Development has potential to deliver over 100 Megawatts (MWs) power, and over 30 MWs of energy storage.

Project History

This project is a result of SPR’s partnership with Forestry and Land Scotland, where we were awarded exclusive rights to investigate the feasibility of onshore renewables projects within the National Forest Estate in south west Scotland. Further information on renewable energy on the National Forest Estate is available on the Forestry and Land Scotland website.

SPR submitted a request for Pre-Application and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping advice directly to consultees in February 2020 and has now completed a comprehensive suite of environmental surveys including local ecology, archaeology, hydrology, ornithology and access. These were used to inform the design of the proposed Development and undertake the Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed Development.

Community Consultation

Early consultation is key to the way we develop our projects, and throughout the development process we ensure local communities and stakeholders are given the opportunity to provide feedback and are kept informed of project progress.

Public Information Days were held in Tynron and Sanquhar in February 2020 along with engagement with the local and neighbouring Community Councils. A second public information event on the proposal was held online from Monday 27 July 2020 until Monday 3 August which presented how the design of the proposal has been amended to take on board public and consultee feedback as well as the findings of the environmental studies and assessments that have now been completed.

Benefits

SPR is proud to support local communities, helping them to deliver their long term aspirations. Our community benefit funds across the UK total more than £55 million to date, with over £24 million invested in communities near our developments in Dumfries and Galloway and East Ayrshire.

As a responsible developer of renewable energy we are keen for the communities surrounding this project to benefit. We are working with Forestry and Land Scotland to develop innovative community benefit options.

With established sites nearby, SPR has a history of engaging positively with communities within the region. We are keen to ensure employment and the business skills required to maximise

The socio-economic assessment for Euchanhead predicts that the project could provide

Approximately £14.5 million of capital investment which would be spent in the local (Dumfries & Galloway and East Ayrshire) economy and approximately £31.2 million in Scotland as a whole;
During the construction phase, the proposed Development is expected to support, in net terms, approximately 98 person-years of employment benefiting local residents, and;
368 person-years of employment nationally (for Scotland as a whole);
During the operational phase, the proposed Development is expected to require between 3 and 5 new full-time employees (engineers and technicians) locally and further posts would be created elsewhere in Scotland. Additional benefits would accrue to the local supply chain as a result of services supplied to the operation of the proposed Development;
The local economy would be expected to be boosted by a total of £16.9 million of net Gross Value Added (GVA) during the construction period. The Scottish economy would benefit by some £26.2 million net GVA.
During the operational phase (assessed over a nominal 40 year life) the proposed Development would contribute lifetime GVA of just under £75 million to the local economy through direct, indirect and multiplier effects, and over £170 million to the economy of Scotland as a whole.
A package of enhancement measures is proposed to support recreational and tourism uses within the Site during the operational phase, focusing on users of and connections to the Southern Upland Way, with a new circular route being developed, and the path to the Colt Hill Striding Arch upgraded.
The annual generation from the proposed wind turbines is estimated at approximately 386.3 ^[1] gigawatt-hours (GWh). With potential to supply enough electricity to meet the domestic needs of up to 101,689 ^[2]

^{[1] For example, using a 35% capacity factor, figures are derived as follows: 126 MW × 8,760 hours/year × 0.35 (capacity factor) = 386,316MWh.}
^{[2] This is calculated using the most recent statistics from BEIS showing that annual UK average domestic household consumption is 3,799kWh. The figure is calculated as follows: Annual energy generation / (UK average domestic electricity consumption/1000)}