Location

Located on the National Forest Estate of Euchanhead, south west Scotland.  Euchanhead Renewable Energy Development (RED)is contained fully within Dumfries and Galloway and comprises three separate forest areas (Euchanhead, Polskeoch and Shinnelhead) to the south west of Sanquhar. 

Current Stage

In November 2025, ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) submitted Additional Environmental Information (AEI) to the Scottish Government.  This AEI captures changes made to the Euchanhead RED since the submission of the Section 36 (S36) application and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in October 2020. Additional mitigation has been implemented following consultation with Dumfries and Galloway Council.  The proposed Development now comprises 19 turbines (reduced from 21) with blade tip heights of up to 230 metres. The proposed Development has the potential to generate over 100 Megawatts (MWs) of power.   

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 (opens in a new window).

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. In October 2020 SPR submitted a Section 36 Application to the Scottish Government for the Euchanhead RED.

Community Consultation

Early consultation is key to the way we develop projects, and throughout the development process we seek to 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.

Benefits

SPR  has been working alongside communities across the UK for nearly two decades. To date, over £19.1 million in community benefit funding has been awarded to Dumfries and Galloway and £14.1m to East Ayrshire communities through existing projects, and over £73 million to communities in the UK as a whole.

As a responsible developer of renewable energy, SPR are committed to the surrounding communities benefitting from this project. SPR are working with Forestry and Land Scotland and are seeking local community groups to engage with to develop innovative community benefit options. 

With established sites nearby, SPR have a history of working positively with communities within the region. SPR are keen to ensure employment and the business skills required to maximise economic benefits can be delivered locally to ensure those who live near our sites benefit as much as possible.  

Euchanhead RED will provide up to £630,000 in community benefit annually, totalling up to £25.2 million over the project's lifetime. This funding will support local aspirations and projects, generating significant economic impacts. SPR will consult with local Community Councils, the local authority, and other relevant stakeholders to manage the community benefit package effectively. Read more about how we engage with our communities here: Powering Communities - ScottishPower Renewables.

The socio-economic assessment for Euchanhead RED predicts that the project would 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 around 100,000 homes ^[2]

Contact

The Project Team can be contacted directly by emailing: euchanheadrenewables@scottishpower.com

Project Documents

• Project Summary Leaflet (opens in a new window)

Please click on the links below to view the Euchanhead Renewable Energy Development EIA Report documents.