Bhlaraidh and Stronelairg wind farm proposals Development

Bhlaraidh and Stronelairg wind farm proposals

Overview

Over the past 3 years, SSE Renewables has been exploring two potential wind farm sites, one on the Glenmoriston Estate (situated on the north-west side of Loch Ness, north of Invermoriston), and the other at Stronelairg (which extends to the east of our Glendoe Hydro Electric Scheme).

This is the second public exhibition to be held in relation to the proposals and aims to inform the local community and interested parties of the final design for both projects. Members of the project teams are available to answer any questions that you may have.

It is intended to submit an Environmental Statements (ES) for each project and this will accompany the Section 36 applications to the Scottish Government in the summer of 2012 for consent to develop wind farms at these sites.

This exhibition

Site locations

SSE Renewables

SSE Renewables is the renewable energy development division of SSE. The company is responsible for the development of onshore and offshore wind farms in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Europe, as well as developing hydro and marine projects. Through its various guises, SSE has been part of the Highland community for more than 60 years and, as the UK’s leading generator of renewable energy, is extremely proud of its hydro heritage.

SSE is committed to helping meet Scotland’s climate change targets and believe that renewable energy plays an important part in this. The renewable energy targets that we are working towards are as follows:

• UK – reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2020

• Scotland – electricity consumption to come from 100% renewables by 2020

• SSE – reducing the carbon emissions of its generation by 50% by 2020

As the UK’s leading generator of renewable energy, we are proud to be at the forefront of developing renewables and helping tackle climate change.

The areas outlined in red above show the areas of investigation for each of the proposals. They do NOT show the specific areas within these sites where turbines are proposed.


Development process

We are here

SITE SELECTIONSSE undertook a thorough review of potential wind farm sites in Scotland. As part of this exercise, Bhlaraidh and Stronelairg were selected as sites with suitable characteristics for potential wind farms (such as adequate wind speed, suitable topography, access to electricity grid, etc).

SITE FEASIBILITY STUDIES STARTEDIn April 2009, following discussions with the landowners, the first season of bird studies began. Surveys have been ongoing for two years and will conclude in Spring 2011. Planning applications were also submitted for meteorological masts to measure wind speed and the host community councils were informed. The masts have been erected and are now operational.

SCOPINGIn March 2011, Scoping Reports were submitted to statutory and non-statutory consultees, including the local community councils, to obtain feedback and help define the scope of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND FIRST EXHIBITIONA public exhibition is held in the local community in order to gather views on the proposals and to highlight any local issues or concerns. All comments will be considered during the EIA process and may influence the design of the site.

ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE STUDIESDesk based assessments, consultation, and field studies have commenced which help identify the current (baseline) environments for the EIA.

DETERMINATION OF APPLICATIONSDue to the generation capacity of these proposals being expected to be over 50MW, the Scottish Government will be the determining authority, and The Highland Council a key consultee.

PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENTS (ES)Once all of the environmental surveys for the EIAs are complete and scoping opinions and comments have been gathered, the findings are assessed and presented in an ES for each of the proposals. This document accompanies the respective applications when they are submitted to the determining authority.

REVIEW OF PROPOSALS BY DETERMINING AUTHORITY The applications and respective ES are reviewed by the determining authority and statutory consultees and additional information requested if necessary. The determining authority then assess the proposals against national and local planning and energy policy, the consultee responses (including comments from the local community) and decide whether consent should be granted for each of the proposals.

SECOND PUBLIC EXHIBITIONA second exhibition is held in the local community to present the final designs for each of the proposals.

SCOPING REPORT

CONSULTATION FORMAL PUBLICATIONSPROCESS

PLANNING APPLICATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT (ES)

FURTHER INFORMATION (IF REQUESTED)

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONSApplications are submitted to the determining authority accompanied by their respective ES. Copies are sent to consultees, including the local community councils, and also made available for public viewing by the determining authority.

CONSULTATION PERIODA statutory consultation period is undertaken by the determining authority for each of the proposed developments. Consultees, local community councils, interested parties and the public have the opportunity to comment on each of the proposed developments. Comments are made to the determining authority.


Working with the community

Our approach

Throughout the life of our projects, we aim to work positively with the local community and keep people informed about what we are doing.

Community benefits

SSE is committed to maximizing opportunities for local businesses and services, ensuring a positive lasting legacy for the communities around our projects and for the Highlands as a whole. These are some examples of the short and long-term benefits our projects can bring to the local community:

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• Community benefit funds In recognition of the part that communities play in hosting renewable generation projects, we establish long-term community funds to support community projects and initiatives throughout the life of the wind farm (typically 25 years); and we have a number of such schemes in place in the Highland region already. Whilst community benefit is associated with a consented project, it does not form part of the application submission and cannot be considered in the determination of the application by the planning authority.

• Construction period If the proposal is successful in being granted permission, prior to the construction of a project, local companies would be given the opportunity to offer their services. This usually takes the form of an open day which is advertised locally for businesses to attend, talk to the project team, and register their interest. Roles and services that may be sourced locally will relate to the on-site and ancillary works and will depend on the skills and services available.

• Operational period Following the construction period, there are likely to be longer term roles required to help manage the site, including operations and maintenance of the wind turbines and associated plant, fencing and drainage work, road repairs, and office maintenance services.

• Use of local services Throughout the construction phase, and from time to time afterwards, teams will be brought in for major maintenance or operational tasks. They are likely to rely on local services for accommodation, food and supplies.

• Apprenticeships At some of our sites, we have established apprenticeship schemes for members of the local community, providing specific training in relation to wind farms. In addition, we are also developing schemes at some of our sites, supported by the community fund, encouraging local businesses to take on apprenticeships, with the fund offsetting the cost of employing the apprentices while they learn their trade.

We are keen to ensure that communities receive meaningful long-term benefit from projects in their area, and that they will create genuine short and long-term local employment opportunities, which will help to strengthen communities and encourage local economic growth.

Achany wind farm, near Lairg, Sutherland – 19 turbines (blade tip height of 100 metres)

Visit to an operational wind farm with the project team


During the consultation period SSE will consult with community councils, government agencies and any other stakeholders.

Once the consultation period begins individuals can make representation at the following address;

[email protected]

Energy Consents and Deployment Unit Scottish Government 4th Floor 5 Atlantic Quay 150 Broomielaw Glasgow G2 8LU

Please take the time at the exhibition to speak to our project teams and raise any questions or concerns that you may have about the proposals.

Should you have any further questions please contact the Project Liaison Manager.

Contact details for the Project Liaison Manager:

Marianne Townsley SSE Renewables 10 Henderson Road Inverness IV1 1SN Telephone: 01463 728069 Email: [email protected]

Next steps

What happens next?

It is anticipated that our applications to the Scottish Government will be made in the coming weeks. As the applications are both greater than 50MW, these will be made to the Scottish Ministers. The Highland Council will be consulted as a statutory consultee and will provide Scottish Government with a recommendation during the application processes.

Once the applications are registered, a statutory consultation period will begin. This period allows non-statutory consultees 28 days to make representations on the applications to the Energy Consents Unit. The applications will be advertised over a two week period with the statutory time period starting from the date of the second advert for each proposal.

How do I comment on the proposals?

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Fairburn wind farm, Strathconnon, Ross-shire – 20 turbines (blade tip height of 100 metres)

Stronelairg wind farm proposal

The proposed development

The location

The proposed site area, shown below, is owned by Garrogie Estate. It is located on a remote plateau in the Monadhliath Mountains approximately 11 km to the East of Fort Augustus . The site is

predominantly open moorland and is currently used for deer stalking and grouse shooting. The site lies adjacent to the SSE owned, 100MW Glendoe Hydro Electric Scheme.

• Background The project design has been informed by findings obtained from extensive public consultation combined with results from a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The layout for the development consists of 83 wind turbines, with a maximum tip height of up to 135m. One of the main benefits of constructing and operating a wind farm in this location is the ability to make use of the extensive infrastructure already in place for the existing Glendoe Hydro Electric Scheme.

• Components The main elements of the Development would include:

• 83 wind turbines and associated infrastructure;• Crane hardstandings;• On-site access tracks and passing bays

(utilising existing hydro electric scheme tracks where possible);

• 4 meteorological masts;• Electrical substation (on-site); and• Temporary works would include construction

compounds, borrow pits (from which construction aggregates would be extracted) and laydown areas. Existing infrastructure from the Glendoe Hydro Electric Scheme would be used for these purposes where practicable.

• Access At present, the preferred turbine delivery route would bring the components from Corpach Harbour turning East along the A830, continuing North along the A82 through Spean Bridge to Fort Augustus and on to the B862 towards the Glendoe Hydro Electric Scheme. From there, the existing haul road would be used to access the proposed site.

• Grid connection Power generated by the turbines would be transferred via underground cables to the on-site substation. The connection to the national grid, outwith the site, falls under a separate consent process. Grid connection studies are being carried out to determine the most appropriate method for onward transmission of the electricity generated from the proposed wind farm.

In early March 2011, we entered the Scoping stage of the project and a Scoping Report was issued to statutory and non-statutory consultees, including local community councils, in order to obtain feedback and refine the scope of the environmental work that we planned to undertake. In parallel with this scoping exercise we held public exhibitions at the end of March 2011 in Fort Augustus in order to engage with the local community regarding this proposal.

The information obtained from the consultation and environmental studies has been used to inform the design evolution of the wind farm and we now have a final layout which will be submitted to the Scottish Government in the summer of 2012. The environmental information will be collated into an Environmental Statement which will accompany the Section 36 application to the Scottish Government.

The proposal

Development process

Full site layout

Turbine delivery route


Environmental considerations

Ornithology

A range of field surveys were undertaken between 2008 and 2012 to establish baseline conditions on-site in order to assess likely disturbance-displacement, collision risk and barrier effects to species of high conservation value or sensitivity to wind farms. Site specific disturbance buffers were established to aid design and layout. In particular considerable effort has been made in the design and layout of the wind farm to limit any potential effect on Golden Eagle.

Ecology

Habitat and protected species surveys have been undertaken within the site. A range of habitats are present, including heather moorland and blanket bog. Surveys recorded the presence of otter, water vole, red deer, fox, common toad, common frog and palmate newts within the site and/or the surrounding area. No evidence of wild cat, pine marten or badger were recorded during the surveys.

Hydrology

Due to the close proximity of the windfarm to the Glendoe Reservoir there are a large number of related tributaries running through the proposed site. As such there are a large number of hydro assets (e.g. intakes and water crossings) in the area which already have a considerable impact on the hydrology of the area. These are carefully managed and monitored. However, wherever possible, water crossing have been kept to an absolute minimum as can be seen in the proposed track design.

Other environmental aspects

These assessments examined effects on: traffic and transport, peat stability, cultural heritage, telecommunications; aviation and other infrastructure; land-use; tourism and recreation; and socio-economics; safety of structures in extreme weather; and climate and carbon emissions. The surveys undertaken to date indicate a majority of low significant effects, any areas of greater significance will have mitigation measures in place to ensure effects are minimised.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been undertaken for the Development to assess the likely significant environmental effects. The information gathered from the surveys has helped shape the design and layout of the proposed wind farm and identify any required mitigation measures.

The environmental considerations listed below were identified as being of key importance for the design process:

• Landscape and visual; • Ornithology; • Ecology; and • Hydrology

Red Deer

Red Grouse


Landscape and visual assessment

The landscape and visual assessment assesses the visual effects associated with the presence of wind turbines as well as other site infrastructure including temporary construction features such as construction compounds.

The site itself is located within a large scale, high level plateau which is surrounded by a series of high summits and ridges, providing a degree of distant enclosure. This effectively restricts distant views into and out of this area from many directions, and particularly from the west. The plateau area includes a network of structures, some of them large and prominent, including tracks relating to the Glendoe Hydro Electric Scheme and management of the estate.

The development is located approximately 1km to the west of the Cairngorms National Park boundary and is located within a Search Area for Wild Land (SAWL) as recognised by SNH’s Policy Statement No. 02/03 'Wildness in Scotland’s Countryside'.

Due to the relative remoteness and high altitude of the site, there will be a limited visual impact on settlements within the surrounding areas. Significant effort has been made to mitigate against any negative visual impacts, this is evident from the final design of the wind farm and the limited amount of low-lying areas from which it is visible.

Should you wish to view a computer generated visualisation of how the final wind farm design may look from certain viewpoints, such as residential properties, please ask a member of our team at the exhibition. We are able to generate a 3D model of the wind farm from viewpoints as far away as 35km. This will be based on bare ground i.e. with no screening effects such as vegetation or buildings.

The Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV), shown below, illustrates the indicative theoretical visibility of the proposed turbine layout based on bare ground (i.e. no screening effects such as vegetation or buildings) for up to 35km from the site.

Stronelairg Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV)


Photomontages and wirelinesGael Charn, Monadhliath – Montage

Gael Charn, Monadhliath – Wireline


Photomontages and wirelinesGael Charn, Monadhliath – Montage

Gael Charn, Monadhliath – Wireline


Scoping layout

The scoping layout of 144 turbines was based on a theoretical ‘maximised’ layout taking into account limited constraints (i.e. location of watercourses, lochs, wind data and designated sites).

Second design iteration

The second design iteration incorporated a significant reduction of turbines from the scoping layout to 88 turbines. The removal of 56 turbines was undertaken in response to the following key aspects:

• Ornithology: Three raptor species identified on site (Golden Eagle, Merlin and Peregrine) as well as breeding waders (namely Dunlin and Golden Plover). Potentially significant eagle activity and high numbers of breeding waders has been recorded, predominantly over the eastern area of the site;

• Habitats: Following an extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey, both Annex 1 Habitats Blanket Bog and Montane Heath are located in the site area. Montane Heath is located in large areas to the east of the site, and around Carn na Gourach. Larger areas of Montane Heath are more likely to survive the effects of climate change; and

• Landscape and Visual: The proposed site is located close to the boundary of the western extent of the Cairngorms National Park and within a search area for wild land. However the search area for wild land does not take into consideration the recent development of the 100MW Glendoe Hydro Electric Scheme which affects the majority of the proposed site. Preliminary ZTV and wireline analysis has identified the visual envelope of the scoping layout as being predominantly confined to areas of higher ground. However, the removal of turbines to the east of the site could provide a reduction in the visual extent, particularly in views from the lower lying areas of the Cairngorms National Park.

Final design iteration

The current layout has addressed the key environmental constraints identified on site, as well as issues raised in consultation with statutory and non statutory consultees, and local communities.

Design iterations

Scoping layout

Second design iteration

Final design iteration

Documents

Bhlaraidh and Stronelairg wind farm proposals Development