Leading independent Scottish renewable energy operator GreenPower, has submitted a planning application to extend the 3-turbine Drumduff Wind Farm, located near Blackridge in West Lothian.
The development will comprise of up to three turbines and an expected generation capacity of 15MW, bringing the overall Drumduff Wind Farm to 6 turbines and the combined onsite generation capacity to over 21 MW.
Located primarily in a commercial Sitka Spruce forest, the project plan includes substantial ‘forest to bog’ restoration of peatland as part of the development, and the company has also made a commitment to provide £5,000 per MW of installed generation capacity to the local community.
This will build on the existing Drumduff development fund that has supported the construction of the boardwalk at Blawhorn Moss, and provided support to local people during the COVID pandemic through food vouchers for families and activity packs for Blackridge Primary School pupils.
Development Manager Sam Layton said: “The project will complement the existing wind farm at Drumduff and will fit well in the proposed area. Local community feedback is an important part of the planning process, and feedback has helped us finalise the design to avoid native woodland areas and maximise biodiversity benefits from the project.”
The existing wind farm is owned and operated by GreenPower and its partners, Thrive Renewables.
Director of Development George Baxter added: “At a time when the climate emergency demands new sources of green energy, this project is proposed in a great location, extending an existing wind farm located in a well-established area of wind developments, and for a small number of turbines with high energy yield.
“Careful consideration has been put into the design, and modern, highly efficient turbines proposed are up to 149.9m tip height, providing a total capacity of around 15 megawatts while avoiding the need for aviation lighting. The site is immediately adjacent to the existing wind farm at Drumduff.”
Adrian Warman, Head of Operations at Thrive Renewables, added: “This extension will help to meet the UK’s increasing demand for clean energy to power homes, businesses and transport, and serve as a step towards achieving both the West Lothian Council and Scottish Government’s decarbonisation targets. It is our intention to maximise the opportunities for local communities and businesses to ensure they continue benefiting from the project.”
If approved, the three-turbine proposal will supersede the already consented single wind turbine development within the Drumduff Extension Boundary. The consented turbine is up to 126.5m and would only provide a generation of up to 2.3MW – while a more modern 150m turbine could provide near double the generation at potentially 5MW per turbine and increase the extension site generation from 2.3MW to 15MW.
Further information can be found on the Drumduff Wind Farm Extension project page.