Hare Hill Windfarm Repowering - ScottishPower Renewables

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Hare Hill Windfarm Repowering and Extension

Location

Located on the border of East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway, Hare Hill Windfarm and Hare Hill Extension sit southeast of New Cumnock, East Ayrshire.

Current Stage

ScottishPower Renewables (UK) Limited, (SPR) is developing Hare Hill Repowering and Extension and has submitted a Section 36 Application to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit. Copies of the submitted documentation can be found in the ‘Documents’ section of this webpage.

Project History

Currently, the existing Hare Hill and Hare Hill Extension Windfarms have a combined total of 55 turbines, generating a combined 43.2MW across the two sites. By repowering the site, the proposed development will reduce the number of turbines to 23, and significantly increase the generation capacity to around 130MW or approximately 261GWh of electricity annually, enough to power the equivalent of over 75,000 homes. The proposed development will be delivered in two phases:

Phase 1 consists of 15 wind turbines, with a maximum tip height of 200 metres (m) and a range of tip heights including: 150, 180 and 200 metres (m) to tip.
Phase 2 consists of 8 wind turbines, also with a range of tip heights including: 150, 180 and 200 metres (m) to tip.

If you wish to learn more about repowering, please find further information here.

In February 2024, ScottishPower Renewables installed a Meteorological Mast at Hare Hill. The mast will be used to gather data on wind conditions and other environmental factors. SPR have also undertaken a considerable number of surveys to establish the environmental baseline data for the site. This information has helped to inform the design and development of the proposed layout.

Community Consultation

Early consultation is key to the way SPR develops projects, and throughout the development process SPR seek to ensure local communities and stakeholders are given the opportunity to provide feedback and are kept informed of project progress.

We hosted a Public Information Event in April 2024 at the Miners Memorial Hall in Kirkconnel and the New Cumnock Town Hall, welcoming local residents who came along to share their thoughts, provide feedback and better understand our vision for the development. SPR hosted additional Public Information Events in these venues in September 2024.

Consultation feedback combined with findings from environmental surveys and technical studies is vital in shaping the design of the proposed submitted to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit.

You can also contact the project team at any time via the project mailbox address noted in the "Contact" section below.

Benefits

As a responsible developer and operator of renewable energy, ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) believes the benefits of our projects should be shared with the communities in which we work.

During the operation of our onshore renewable energy developments, we create and support community benefit funds, empowering communities to control how this money is spent to best serve the needs of their local area. To date, SPR’s operational onshore windfarms have contributed over £75 million to communities across the United Kingdom. Over £19 million of community benefit has been used to support valuable community led initiatives and projects in Dumfries and Galloway. In excess of £14 million has been invested into communities in East Ayrshire. Repowering Hare Hill Windfarm and Hare Hill Extension will significantly increase community benefit funds available to neighbouring communities within Dumfries and Galloway and East Ayrshire.

Community benefit funds have led to the delivery of a diverse range of projects, which include environmental improvements, educational programmes, heritage projects, the purchase of community transport vehicles, provision of life saving defibrillators, investment in energy efficiency measures within community buildings, and much more besides. Read more about how we engage with our communities here: Powering Communities.