This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Windfarm project approved
13/02/2004
Proposals for Blacklaw windfarm near ForthinSouth Lanarkshire have been approved by the
Executive.
The 142.6 megawatt ScottishPower scheme is the
largest onshore windfarm approved inBritainto date.
It will be built on the site of a former
open-cast mine, and restoration of the landscape will
be a central part of the development.
Deputy Enterprise Minister Lewis Macdonald
said:
"This development will make a very significant
contribution to meeting our targets for increased
renewable energy, and it is a further major step
towards realising our ambition of making Scotland the
leader in renewable energy in the UK and indeed further
afield.
"There are jobs in it too. Local firms will be
encouraged to bid for construction work, involving around
120 jobs. This again shows that renewable energy can not
only benefit
Scotland's environment, but the economy as well.
"The windfarm will provide enough clean energy to
meet the average electricity needs of 83,000 homes,
equivalent to the entire domestic demand of theWest Lothianarea."
Mr Macdonald said the decision to grant consent
on the proposal followed a lengthy consultation process
involving the local councils, environmental agencies,
and members of the public.
The announcement comes the day after the Department
of Trade & Industry proposed changes to the UK Energy
Bill which could help renewable energy development
inScotland.
The move will allow the Secretary of State for
Trade and Industry to cap or discount charges for renewable
energy generators using the national grid, and so avoid
higher charges for generators in areas further from the
main centres of population.
Lewis Macdonald said:
"Scottish generators have been concerned to
ensure they do not have to pay more to connect new
renewables generation to the National Grid than their
competitors further south.
"We have pursued these matters vigorously with
colleagues in DTI, who clearly share our ambition
forScotlandto make a major contribution to the renewables
revolution across
Britain.
"This amendment to the Energy Bill does not
resolve all the issues, but it is certainly a
significant step in the right direction."
ScottishPower, the Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds, and Scottish Natural Heritage have
been involved in developing a habitat management plan
integrating nature conservation, renewable energy, and
other land uses on the derelict site at
Blacklaw.
CRE Energy Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of
ScottishPower plc. It will construct and operate Blacklaw
Windfarm. CRE has successfully built and presently operates
other windfarms in theUnited Kingdom.
TheExecutive announced plans to produce 40% ofScotland's electricity from renewable sources by 2020 in
March 2003.