Kilgallioch Windfarm Extension

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SPR has recently received planning consent from the Scottish Ministers for the Kilgallioch Windfarm Extension Section 36 Application. Please see the 'Current Stage' section below for more information.

Location

Kilgallioch Windfarm Extension is located approximately 9.5km north-west of Kirkcowan on land known as High Eldrig, to the south-east of the operational Kilgallioch Windfarm. The nearest community to the site is New Luce, approximately 7km north-east.

Project History

SPR completed construction and began operating Kilgallioch Windfarm in 2017 and have identified this area to the south of Kilgallioch Windfarm as having excellent potential to be an extension to this site.

As part of the development process, a met mast was installed at High Eldrig in 2018, this is gathering data on wind conditions at the site.

A Scoping report was submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consent Unit in April 2019.

ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) submitted a Section 36 (S36) Application to the Scottish Government in December 2019. A comprehensive suite of environmental surveys was undertaken including ecology, archaeology, hydrology, ornithology and access to inform the design of the proposed Development.

In December 2020, SPR submitted an Addendum (AI1) to this application for consent, removing the previously proposed solar arrays from the site design. AI1 was advertised and consulted upon from January to February 2021.

In September 2021, following continued consultation with Historic Environment Scotland (HES), SPR submitted a second Addendum (AI2) to this application for consent to remove two wind turbines (T1 and T11) from the site design. AI2 was advertised and consulted upon from September to November 2021.

Current Stage

The Section 36 Application was consented by the Scottish Ministers on 08 December 2021. The determination notice can be viewed here (opens in a new window).

Consent has been granted for 9 wind turbines with a maximum tip height of 180m and a generating capacity in excess of 50MW.

Further details of the project including electronic copies of the EIA Report document as well as the application and consultation process can be found using the links below.

Community Consultation

Early consultation is key to the way SPR develops its projects, and throughout the development process we have endeavoured 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 June and August 2019 in Kirkcowan Village Hall. SPR has also met with local Community Councils to provide information in relation to the proposed Development.

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

View the Public Information Day leaflet (opens in a new window)

Benefits

SPR will continue in its commitment to promoting local jobs, skills and inward investment and will actively engage with local communities and businesses. During the construction phase alone, the proposed Development is expected to support over 145 jobs in Scotland with approximately one fifth of these opportunities benefitting local residents.

Extending the operational Kilgallioch Windfarm presents an opportunity to maximise the renewable generating capacity of the Site, and will help to meet Scotland’s improved carbon emissions targets (75% reduction by 2030 and ‘net zero’ by 2040, 5 years quicker than the whole of the UK).

Site Enhancements

The project includes a Habitat Management Plan which will implement positive land management for the benefit of landscape and nature conservation. It will improve degraded bog habitats, rewet drained peat, and manage and control native and non-native species. This is expected to have a positive impact on the overall site condition of the nearby River Bladnoch SAC and SSSI, as well as benefits to ecology and ornithology.
Archaeological features identified during site visits will be preserved and enhanced by improving access and publicising the cultural heritage resource.
Completion of an airborne Lidar survey of the moorland with the aim of providing an accurate and detailed topographical record of the surviving archaeological remains of the historic landscape within the study area. The Lidar survey would provide a baseline record of the surviving earthwork remains that would provide the Dumfries and Galloway Council Archaeology Service with a resource that could facilitate future management and monitoring of the cultural heritage resource of the historic farming landscape. The Lidar data would be available for public consultation and research.

Design Considerations

The site design has been reached through feedback from consultees and communities, where the locations of the wind turbines and associated infrastructure have evolved through an iterative design process to achieve a final layout sympathetic to environmental constraints and the surrounding landscape.

Documents

Please click on the links below to view the Kilgallioch Windfarm Extension EIA Report documents.