Latest news with #Nadara
The National
13 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Inside a pivotal week on Skye's energy future as 50 more turbines
Three new planning applications — totalling 50 turbines up to 200 metres high — were lodged this week for sites at Glen Ullinish, Ben Sca, and Balmeanach. The developments add to the growing number of wind energy proposals across the island, with more than 130 turbines now either operational, approved, or awaiting consent. The timing of the new applications has drawn sharp criticism from community members already engaged in the inquiry over the Ben Aketil Wind Farm repowering. That project, led by developer Nadara, would double the height of existing turbines and extend the operational lifespan of the site. At the public hearing earlier this week, Highland Tory councillor Ruraidh Stewart said the pace and scale of development was putting serious pressure on local authorities and communities. 'I was really speaking on behalf of the community, saying that a lot of people had contacted me about this development as it came through the process. Public speaking isn't a natural thing for many — they don't want to get involved in inquiries, he said in an interview with The National after the session. 'What they're proposing for Ben Aketil is 200-metre wind turbines. That's hard to visualise with no context — but for comparison, that's about the height of the observation deck of The Shard. 'Putting something like that in the middle of Skye is just, by and large, inappropriate. I made the comparison in the inquiry: Skye is the second most visited tourist destination in all of Scotland, only behind Edinburgh. 'If someone proposed putting wind turbines on top of Arthur's Seat, they'd be laughed out of a planning meeting.' READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: Highlanders are rallying against Scotland's energy land grab Landowners and campaigners have also raised doubts over the promised benefits of repowering. Charles MacDonald, who owns land near the Ben Aketil site, told the inquiry that developers were overstating local gains, revealing that no jobs had been promised. He shared that he had turned down three separate wind farm offers. Each company had made it clear that the construction phase wouldn't involve any local labour — workers would be brought in, complete the job, and leave. Just 1.2 maintenance positions are expected to be delivered from the repowerment at Ben Aketil. Campaigner Thor Klein (below), who attended this week's hearings, echoed that frustration. 'You've got consultants giving expert testimony who haven't even visited Skye. One of the cultural heritage experts admitted her whole report was done from a desk.' He said the inquiry revealed a 'lack of preparedness' by developers, and called on Scottish ministers to pause new approvals until a full review of the Scotland's energy strategy can be completed. 'Even the applicant had to admit there's no comprehensive plan connecting these various wind farm projects,' Klein said. 'That lack of oversight is frankly shocking. We're facing a massive infrastructure transformation, but there's no roadmap. This leaves local councils like Highland Council completely overwhelmed, because corporations push multiple developments simultaneously, hoping something sticks. 'It's not a sustainable governance model, and I hope the reporter takes note of that.' He also said there was 'little to no community benefit'. Nadara, the developer behind Ben Aketil, has claimed that its existing wind farm has delivered £700,000 in community benefits. But critics argue that amounts to just £1685 per megawatt—far below the Scottish Government's non-binding benchmark of £5000 per MW set in 2014. READ MORE: 53 community councils unite to demand Highland energy projects pause Stewart, who is also a crofter, noted the community was disillusioned with the process, but said he was glad to see so many locals attending the sessions throughout the week. 'By and large, the majority of the community opposes it. But there's a real disillusionment with the process. 'From what I've heard, the council, who objected, and the Skye Wind Information Group, who instructed their own experts, made very compelling points for refusal. 'But there's still doubt whether those views will be meaningfully considered. 'Look at the Ackron Wind Farm decision in East Sutherland. The government reporter recommended refusal, but Scottish ministers approved it anyway. 'There's a disconnect — a lack of trust that even after participating in the process, communities will be heard.' Originally the council objected due to peatland impact, in line with another statutory body. The developers then reconfigured the turbine layout to avoid some peat areas, and those objections were withdrawn. Stewart believes that on paper, the peat restoration plans sound reasonable. But the best protection for peat 'is not damaging it in the first place,' he said. 'Especially when so much of this power might never reach the market. Digging up thousands of tonnes of peatland in the name of green energy doesn't sit right with me. 'Peatland is vital for ecosystems, carbon storage, and climate resilience. 'The first Ben Aketil wind farm was supposed to operate for 33 years — now, 18 years in, they're digging it up and starting again. 'It happens time and again as turbines get bigger — they just dig up more.' Residents have also raised fears over infrastructure, emergency planning, and fire risk. Turbine components would arrive via the pier at Kyle of Lochalsh and travel by truck to remote sites on Skye. But Klein said there were no detailed transport plans provided yet — only verbal assurances. 'We're talking about massive vehicles on single-track roads,' he said. 'And no one has explained how they'll deal with emergencies—especially fires at battery storage sites, which local fire services are not equipped to handle.' Looking Ahead With more projects entering the planning system each week, residents fear a tipping point is approaching. 'Right now, there are three more applications on the table—this week alone,' said Klein. 'That's another 50 turbines. It's too much, too fast, with too little oversight.' As the volume of projects increases, pressure is growing on Scottish ministers to intervene. Both campaigners and councillors are calling for a coordinated national strategy that balances renewable energy goals with the protection of local communities and landscapes. 'I'm not against wind turbines or anything like that,' Klein said. 'it's really crucial to ask for a pause — to evaluate, think it through, and then make decisions. 'Because you're overwhelming local democratically elected bodies. It's a big danger."
Scotsman
3 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Skye landowner who turned down three wind farms says developments will 'change the island forever'
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... His family have called the island and surrounding areas their home for the last 700 years. But Charles MacDonald, a landowner on Skye, said the land holding his Hebridean roots is set to change forever with the onset of wind farm developments. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Highland laird raised this concerns at an inquiry into plans to repower the Ben Aketil wind farm, between Dunvegan and Portree. Charles MacDonald, a landowner on the Isle of Skye | Katharine Hay The development, if given the green light, will see 12 100m turbines replaced with nine double the size. Mr MacDonald, who has a farm and some crofting land, said he had been approached by three wind farm companies to build on his land, but rejected all offers. 'It was probably the hardest decision in my life because certainly the money would have been very useful but I decided to turn them all down,' he said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Turbines standing up to 200m tall – nearly six times the height of the Skye Bridge – could be built on the internationally famous Misty Isle if new wind farm plans get the go-ahead. Picture: Andrew Robinson | Andrew Robinson Skye is Scotland's second most popular tourist destination, after Edinburgh | Colin/Wikimedia Commons. 'On a local level, the immediate thought is we have 16 crofting townships and any windfarm that would come would have been built on maybe one or possibly two common grazing. The other 14 townships would not have benefited from the money and that is an incredibly divisive thing.' With blade tip heights reaching 200m, the Ben Aketil plans, lodged by Italian developers Nadara, have led to deep discontent among the Skye community, from young families to bird watchers, tourism business owners to crofters, all who gave evidence at the inquiry. The inquiry was triggered by hundreds of objections to the project from island residents and a formal objection from Highland Council. Ben Aketil wind farm plans showing the proposed larger turbines in red, plus a couple of other wind farm plans for the island in other colours | Katharine Hay Increased lorry loads travelling on an already stretched island when it comes to infrastructure, the potential impact on tourism and other businesses and the industrial change to some of the island's wildlife and ecology, including peatlands, were raised as concerns. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The development comes as a total of some 130 individual turbines are either consented, in planning or in the pipeline for the area. Mr MacDonald added: 'If all these windfarms queuing up behind Ben Aketil come to fruition this will be very, very disruptive. 'My most major worry is that repowering Ben Aketil with turbines twice the size and with the potential of more to come will change the island forever.' Residents on Skye gathered outside the venue in Portree where the inquiry is being | Katharine Hay The inquiry heard from landscape expert Kelly Anderson, speaking on behalf of Nadara, who confirmed 'the more turbines there are in a landscape, the easier it is to add more.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Some in the community have dismissed the concerns raised by those pushing back against wind farm developments on the island, arguing they could bolster economic activity. One Skye resident attending the inquiry, who wished to remain anonymous, said those protesting against the projects are often 'a small, vocal, privileged minority.' Ben Aketil in Skye from just above the A850 Highland Council objected to a plan to replace existing windfarm with nine new turbines that are 200 metres tall - twice the height of current model. | Andrew Robinson Another resident said some of the concerns raised were 'not fully representative of the island' and dismissed claims wind farms would impact tourism. However, a widely shared belief across islanders was the need for improved community benefit. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In his evidence, Mr MacDonald said: 'We are promised jobs and money. Certainly, school shinty teams and playgrounds get sponsorship from the developers to massage local opinion. In other regimes, this is called bribery. 'Community benefit is much touted. Truthfully, it's pitiful. You only need look at Ben Aketil's record to see the benefit is way less than the recommended £5,000 per megawatt (MW). 'Sharing this pot is divisive; we already see communities fighting over potential spoils. It's very sad. 'Apart from the few who benefit from the rent here, most of the money largely leaves the island, often to multinationals who live miles away and who, in my view, don't really have our interests at heart.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Professor Matthew Hannon, director of the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC), previously told The Scotsman that while developers offering some sort of community benefit was widespread in the UK, Scottish Government guidance of giving £5,000 per MW of installed capacity is from 2014 and has failed to rise with inflation. Crofter Mark Francis, who receives 1/33rd of a Grazing Committee's earnings for a wind farm where he lives echoed concerns about genuine community benefit from developers earning large profits, including those on Skye. In his contribution to the inquiry, Mr Francis said: 'Why not community-owned wind turbines where all the profits go to the community? We could rebuild our schools, fix our roads, build hubs for the gathering of peoples without going cap in hand to the lottery or charity? 'Why are these developers not forced to donate turbines to the community, say one for every ten built, or forced to build affordable housing as part of the deal, rather than riding roughshod over these remote villages.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tears were shed by some members of the Skye community giving evidence about future wind farm and grid upgrade developments on the island. Opera singer and mother Rhona Coogan, a Skye local, told the inquiry: 'The concealed scoping taking place by external forces is reminiscent of the Highland Clearances, when a lack of consideration, respect and accessible information for the local communities resulted in a disastrous conclusion. They are preying on the naivety and trusting nature of highland communities.' Rhona Coogan, a mother and owner of a small business on Skye, giving evidence at an inquiry into the Ben Aketil repowering plans | Katharine Hay After hearing residents give personal statements at the inquiry, Finley Becks-Phelps, UK head of development for Nadara, said: 'I fully appreciate it's an emotive subject. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'From ourselves, as a developer, and having been in operation for many years, what we are looking forward to doing is to hopefully keep a relationship going with the community. 'There were elements I picked up from the community hearing that we need to collaborate better with other developers, not just onshore winds but also the transmission operators. I think that's a really important point. Finley Becks-Phelps, UK head of development for Nadara and Daniel Letch, Ben Aketil Wind Farm Repowering Project Manager, attending the inquiry in Portree this week | Katharine Hay 'I think there is an element of unknown and change and trying to understand what that looks like. At the moment, everyone hears different stories from different developers and I think there's an onus on us as developers to communicate what may or may not happen in the future.' Mr Becks-Phelps said there has been community benefit issued to residents on Skye from the Ben Aketil wind farm, adding: 'The numbers have changed and we are looking at much bigger numbers, which can be exciting. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'One of our desires is to work more closely with the community to make sure that money does come forward as a genuine tangible benefit. It can be done, but it needs to be a collaboration with everyone involved.'
The National
19-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Plans to remove 34 turbines from Highland wind farm
The Novar 1 wind farm, near Evanton in Easter Ross, has been operational since 1997, and its operator Nadara has proposed decommissioning the existing turbines. The current wind turbines have a maximum blade tip height of 60m (197ft), but Nadara have submitted planning permission to install 10 new turbines measuring up to 180m (590ft). READ MORE: Highland fury grows as pylons march south with Scotland's wind power Although the proposal for the new turbines was submitted to the Highland Council, the Scottish government would have the final say on the project. Nadara's application to the Highland Council also includes proposals to build a control building, substation and underground cabling. (Image: ELG21/Unsplash) The company said the new turbines would have an installed capacity of about 60MW.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plan to remove 34 turbines from Easter Ross wind farm
Plans have been submitted to remove 34 turbines from a hillside in Easter Ross and replace them with 10 new ones - more than twice the 1, near Evanton, has been operational since Nadara has proposed decommissioning the existing turbines, which have a maximum blade tip height of 60m (197ft), and installing new ones measuring up to 180m (590ft).The company has submitted its proposals to Highland Council, but the Scottish government would have the final say on the project. Nadara has sent Highland Council a proposal of application notice (PAN) outlining its plans.A control building, substation and underground cabling have also been company said the new turbines would have installed capacity of about 60MW.
