E.ON, UK’s leading power and gas company, submitted a planning application for the Strathy Wood wind farm development to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit.
The wind farm, located near Strathy, Sutherland, could generate up to 78MW of electricity – enough to power around 52,535 homes with clean, renewable energy. During the consultation process for the site, the energy company met with local community councils from the surrounding areas as well as local residents to discuss its plans and understand their thoughts on the proposals.
Following local feedback and a number of environmental studies that have been carried out, the wind farm has been designed to help ensure that it will have minimal impact on the local landscape and wildlife, while generating as much renewable energy as possible. Notably, this process saw the number of turbines in the plans reduce from 28 to 26.
If consent is given, E.ON will provide a Community Benefit Fund, giving up to GBP 390,000 a year to local community groups and projects. This amounts to GBP 5,000 per megawatt of installed capacity.
