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We've held a series of public exhibitions and events since the projects were announced in 2019, all of which have given local people the opportunity to feedback to us their thoughts on the project, before we submit planning applications. Many questions and issues were raised with us at the events and our Frequently Asked Question blogs will cover the answers to these. In the first blog we look at why these three sites have been chosen and how much profit we expect to generate from the three projects.
Why have these sites been chosen?
These sites were identified following a mapping exercise undertaken by the Council, which applied a 700m buffer zones around homes, as well as marking out Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. This exercise found that there are limited options for wind farm development sites in Orkney and that many of the feasible sites were already being developed by private companies. Hoy, Faray and Quanterness were three sites that offered the best potential for development.
Hoy is a large site which at first was thought to have the potential to accommodate a substantial amount of renewable energy generation – up to 30 turbines. Having undertaken a formal scoping exercise and one year of bird studies it has been shown that the site can more realistically host ~34MW – up to seven turbines
The Quanterness site is outwith ecological or landscape designations, has good access and is a good distance from residential properties. It also allows the opportunity to explore a private wire system to directly utilise power in Kirkwall at a later date.
Faray has no residential properties on the island and came into Council ownership in early 2019.
Slide 4 in this set of exhibition display slides explains more about the lack of suitable sites - https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Files/Strategic_Projects/Quanterness_Project_PAC_Display_Boards.pdf
How much profit will the Council make?
There are a number of uncertainties in the onshore wind market at the moment and these projects couldn’t be built until a new interconnector arrives in 2024 at the earliest - therefore we have looked at a number of scenarios and financial models for the project. We conservatively estimate that a project of 28MW could generate a profit of around £2 million per year. The projects could therefore make a significant difference to the Council’s budget and the level of service provision in the county. If the projects are successful in gaining planning permission then a further decision on whether to build the project or not will be taken at a later date, when many of the financial uncertainties will be firmed up.