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Cloud Hill Wind Farm

A project of BayWa r.e. UK Limited

Project Status

A Section 36 planning application for Cloud Hill Wind Farm, located close to the existing Whiteside Hill Wind Farm, approximately 4.5 km south of Sanquhar, and 4 km south-east of Kirkconnel, in Dumfries and Galloway has been submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consent Unit.

The application was lodged in August 2023, and the formal notice detailing the submission of the application under the Electricity Act 1989 is available here.

As the development is over 50 MW, the application will be considered by Scottish Ministers. Representations on the application can be made here until 19 November 2023 quoting the application reference ECU00003461.

About the Project 

The application is for a wind farm of 11 turbines, each with a maximum tip height of up to 180 m. The turbines will be co-located with a battery energy storage system (BESS). Other infrastructure onsite will include a substation and control room, access tracks, a temporary construction compound, and a permanent met mast of up to 100 m.

Key Facts

  • 11 x 6 MW turbines;
  • Turbine height 180m ground to tip;
  • Capacity over 60 MW;
  • Potential to generate electricity for over 59,000 households*; 
  • Over £10 million in community funds over 35 years of operation;
  • The site is located out with any environmental designations or protected landscapes;
  • Bespoke Biodiversity Enhancement Plan to improve local ecology and peatlands;
  • With a grid connection of 2028, the project will contribute to Scottish Government’s Energy Strategy targets of 20 GW onshore wind.

Site Location

The site location for the wind farm is shown in the map below. 

Design Process

An EIA scoping exercise and consultation with community councils and the public took place throughout 2022 and 2023. Since scoping, the number of turbines has been was reduced by three, from 14 to 11. The location of the remaining turbines was shaped through an iterative design process to  minimise visibility and environmental impact.  This included using the existing onsite access tracks to minimise the footprint of the wind farm.

Feedback from consultations with the public, community councils and organisations such as Nature Scot, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and Dumfries & Galloway Council have helped shaped the final design. 

Key Viewpoints Map

The map below shows before and after images of some key viewpoints associated with the project . A comprehensive library of viewpoints are available in the application documents. 

Click here Click here Click here Click here
Sanquhar Castle

Sanquhar Castle

View south-east of Sanquhar village, adjacent to A76. The direction of view is south-easterly towards the Sanquhar Castle in the foreground and Cloud Hill Wind Farm in the background. The nearest Cloud Hill turbine would be approximately 5.2 km from this viewpoint.

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Euchan Water Minor Road

Euchan Water Minor Road

View from the access to properties at Barr, South of Sanquhar. Located at the junction of the minor road that runs along Euchan Water Valley, looking southwards towards Cloud Hill Wind Farm. The nearest Cloud Hill turbine would be approximately 3.8 km from this viewpoint.

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Southern Upland Way

Southern Upland Way

View from a section of the Southern Upland Way, east of Sanquhar, near to Sanquhar Moor. The direction of the viewpoint is south-east towards the site and is located approximately 6.4 km from the nearest Cloud Hill turbine.

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Benbrack

Benbrack

View from Brenbrack Summit looking northwards towards Cloud Hill Wind Farm. The nearest Cloud Hill turbine would be approximately 9 km from this viewpoint.

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Additional Resources

Community Benefits 

BayWa r.e UK is committed to supporting communities that neighbour our wind farm developments. In many cases this support takes the form of an annual community fund which can provide a valuable, long term, sustainable, and reliable source of income for communities.

This flexible funding can be used to address what is important to communities with the potential to fund large and small projects as well as capital, and harder to fund revenue activities. There is also significant potential for this private sector funding to be used to lever additional match funding making it worth even more to the community.

A community benefit package of £5,000 per installed MW will be offered annually for the life of the Cloud Hill Wind Farm. This is estimated to be £308,000 per year index linked, totalling over £10m across the 35-year operation period.

Local Business Register

A range of services are required during the construction and operational phases of a project and the Cloud Hill Wind Farm presents opportunities for local businesses with the right skills and services. If you are interested in working with us, get in touch by emailing CloudHillWindfarm(at)baywa-re.co.uk to be added to our Local Suppliers Database. 

Engaging with the Community 

The development team at BayWa r.e. has undertaken extensive public consultation throughout the Cloud Hill development phase. Our aim has been to ensure the views of local people have been considered in the design of the wind farm and everyone in the local area is aware of the application.

Public consultation has included exhibitions, and regular meetings with the Community Councils of Royal Burgh of Sanquhar; Kelloholm and Kirkconnel, and Penpont. A dedicated project website provided regular updates throughout the development phase. Newsletters were also distributed to the local community at key stages.

*Calculated using the most recent statistics from DESNZ showing that annual GB average domestic household consumption is 3,509kWh (as of December 2022, updated annually): number of megawatts installed, multiplied by a site specific load factor expressed as a fraction of 1, multiplied by number of hours in a year, divided by average annual domestic electricity consumption expressed in MWh.

Contents
    Contact
    Stuart_Davidson_70x70.jpg
    Stuart Davidson
    Head of Wind Development
    BayWa r.e. UK Limited
    Jennifer_McLeod_70x70.jpg
    Jennifer MacLeod
    Renewables Developer
    BayWa r.e. UK Limited
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