Project Info
The proposed development would be sited approximately 7km northeast of Gatehouse of Fleet and 10km west of Castle Douglas, as shown in the site location plan below. This map shows the site (outlined in red) in the context of the surrounding area.
The proposal of the project comprises up to 9 nine wind turbines, up to 180m above ground level to tip height , ground mounted solar panels and battery storage which would have the total installed capacity of approximately 100MW. The proposed design of the project will be developed by a multidisciplinary project team, through an iterative process which will consider feedback from consultees, the local communities, and experienced independent consultants.
It is anticipated that Lairdmannoch Energy Park will have the potential to generate around 222,254 MWh** of electricity annually, sufficient to meet the needs of over 67,451 households in Scotland annually, while offsetting approximately 96,013 tonnes of CO2 per year*.
The project team are currently undertaking a suite of environmental surveys and assessments across the site. The results will be incorporated into the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and the design process, informing the finalised layout that strikes the best balance between maximising renewable energy generation and associated benefits whilst reducing any adverse impacts where possible through a considered mitigation plan.
A formal scoping request will be submitted to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit (ECU) in Summer 2023. This process will formalise the scope of the EIA required to inform the project planning application, which will be a Section 36 application to the ECU, as the project’s capacity exceeds 50MW.
We anticipate that the Section 36 application will be submitted by Mid-2024.
*Calculation correct as of July 2023 based on RenewableUK methodology (https://www.renewableuk.com/page/UKWEDExplained)
**Data produced as part of the Energy Yield Assessment (EYA) for the Proposed Development have been applied for the purposes of this assessment. This data indicates that a capacity factor of 36.7% for wind and 10.4% for solar is expected to be a more realistic scenario for the Proposed Development than that which is estimated by DUKES (BEIS 2022).
Scoping Documents:
Lairdmannoch Scoping Request Cover Letter Final
Lairdmannoch Scoping Report Issued
Figure 2 Environmental Designations within 10km
Figure 4 Wind Bare Ground ZTV 45km
Figure 5 Solar Bare Earth ZTV 5km
Figure 6 Heritage Assets within 1km
Figure 7 Designated Heritage Assets within 10km
Figure 8 Phase 1 survey results
Figure 9 Vantage Point Viewsheds
Figure 10 Designated sites within 20km Ornithology only
Figure 11 Interpolated Peat Depth