Proposals for a wind farm on Clatto Hill, overlooking miles of Fife countryside, have taken another step forward with the submission of a planning application from East Fife Wind Energy.
The company said its plans for Devon Wood, between Kennoway and Kingskettle, include seven turbines up to 121 metres (393ft) high, capable of generating enough renewable energy to power the needs of about 10,000 homes.
The possibility of providing a community wind turbine or discounted electricity for the area will also be investigated.
West Coast Energy has submitted the application on behalf of the east Fife company, and planning and development manager Jonathan Cawley said the £20 million development will provide an economic boost to the local area, with the civil engineering-related elements alone worth over £3 million.
“Fife Council has a very laudable objective of becoming ‘the greenest council in Scotland’ we believe this proposal will make a very important step towards realising that objective. “There are only a few good sites where commercial wind energy can be developed in Fife and we believe the Devon Wood site is one of them, not only in terms of the electricity that will be generated but also from the low environmental impacts of a development in this location,” said Mr Cawley.
He said the planning submission follows a period of extensive publicity and it follows many presentations, meetings and information exhibitions held in recent months. The information exhibitions in particular, he said, had yielded considerable positive and encouraging feedback.
“There is clearly an appetite for renewable energy generation in Fife. While there are some individuals who may naturally still have concerns about living near a wind farm, I hope the independent environmental assessments that have been undertaken will address and hopefully alleviate any concerns they may have,” he said.
Mr Cawley said that a key element of the proposal was the community benefit fund-a package of £52,500 paid to the local community every year for the 25-year lifetime of the wind farm, giving a total community investment of more than £1.3 million.
“East Fife Wind Energy is seeking ideas on how this money should be allocated and distributed in the community ideas such as discounted electricity, a community benefit trust fund and a community turbine are all under consideration.
“Local residents are being encouraged to voice their opinion on potential uses of this fund, either directly to West Coast Energy or to Fife Council once the formal consultation on the application starts.”
West Coast Energy operates throughout the UK and specialises in the identification, design, planning and development of wind energy projects.
The turbines proposed for Fife would have a hub height of up to 80 metres (260ft) and a blade tip height of up to 121 metres (393ft).
Based on current technology, each turbine would be rated at up to 2.5 megawatts, giving an overall capacity of up to 17.5MW.
Mr Cawley said a comprehensive environmental impact assessment has been done to assess the wind farm’s impact on such issues as ecology, ornithology, archaeology and noise.
In addition, a detailed landscape and visual impact assessment has been carried out.