Over the last few years a number of wind turbines have been built on the hills surrounding Oldhamstocks and now are being built offshore in the Firth of Forth. Below are details of the nearest and also some information on how the companies compensate the communities that are impacted by them.
Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Windfarm
Project facts:
• Neart na Gaoithe means ‘Strength of the Wind’.
• The project has the potential to generate 450MW of renewable energy.
• When fully operational, it will generate enough electricity to power over 375,000 households.
• NnG represents an investment of £2 billion in Scotland’s energy infrastructure.
• It will offset over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
• Onshore grid connection is at Crystal Rig onshore wind farm near Dunbar, East Lothian.
• Distance of approximately 1 km between each off shore turbine.
• The closest turbine will be a minimum of 15.5 km from the shore.
• The NnG site will be approximately 105 km2.
Crystal Rig
Current Status
Crystal Rig Wind Farm commenced operation in October 2003. At the time it was the largest onshore wind farm in Scotland.
Owner
Fred. Olsen Renewables Ltd, 2nd Floor 64-65 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2NU
Tel.: +44 (0)207 963 8904
Number of Turbines: 25
Type of Turbines: 2.5MW Nordex N80. The hub heights of the Phase I turbines are 60m with a rotor diameter of 80m.
Capacity: 62.5MW
Location: Crystal Rig Wind Farm is located on the Lammermuir Hills approximately 40 km east of Edinburgh and 10 km south of Dunbar in the Scottish Borders, adjacent to the boundary with East Lothian.
Economic Benefits
There is a Community Benefit Fund as part of the ongoing commitments to communities in the vicinity of the wind farms. The purpose of the fund is to enable communities to carry out improvements to their local area in ways which benefit the local environment, local amenities or tourism. Each year the wind farm allocates an amount of money to the community council, which administers its disbursement to the community.
Consideration will be given to all types of project which benefit the local community and permission to proceed will be granted for ideas which successfully fulfil the aims of the scheme. Applications will be dealt with on receipt of the application form that is available from your local Community Council.
Crystal Rig II
Current Status
Crystal Rig II Wind Farm commenced operation on 12th July 2005.
Owner
Fred. Olsen Renewables Ltd, 2nd Floor 64-65 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2NU
Tel.: +44 (0)207 963 8904
Number of Turbines: 60
Type of Turbines: 2.3MW Siemens VS
Capacity: 138MW
Location: Crystal Rig II Wind Farm is located on the Lammermuir Hills predominantly to the west of the existing Crystal Rig Wind Farm.
Economic Benefits
See Crystal Rig above.
Aikengall
Current Status
Aikengall Community Wind Farm became operational in March 2009.
Owner
Community Windpower Ltd, 1st Floor, 2 Parklands Way, Maxim Business Park, Eurocentral, Motherwell, ML1 4WRProject Information
Number of Turbines
16
Type of Turbines
Vestas V90 wind turbines. These wind turbines have a tip height of 125 metres and each has a generating capacity of 3 MW.
Capacity
48 MW
Site Location
Aikengall Community Wind Farm is located in East Lothian, 3 km south of Innerwick and 9.5 km south of Dunbar.
Economic Benefits
Aikengall Community Wind Farm provides annual community benefit funding equivalent to £2,500 per MW of installed capacity for the planning permission of the wind farm. Based on an installed capacity of 48 MW, this equates to £120,000 per annum, totalling around £3 million during the 25 year operational period, for the local host communities.
Ferneylea 1
Current Status
Operational February 2017
Owner
Blackfinch Group, 1350-1360 Montpellier Court, Gloucester Business Park, Gloucester, GL3 4AH
T: 01452 717070 E: enquiries@blackfinch.com
Number of Turbines
2
Type of Turbines
Enercon 0.75 MW turbines
Capacity
1.5 MW
Location
Ferneylea Farm, Oldhamstocks is located in East Lothian
Economic Benefits
Community Benefit payment agreed as an annual payment of £5000 per megawatt of installed capacity – £7,500 per year. These funds are split equally between the Oldhamstocks Community Association, and Cockburnspath and Cove Community Council.
Hoprishiels Wind Farm - The Fishermen Three
Current Status
Operational April 2017
Owner
Berwickshire Community Renewables LLP, a partnership between Berwickshire Housing Association and Community Energy Scotland
Number of Turbines
3
Type of Turbines
2.5MW Nordex N90s, with a hub height of 70m and a tip height of 115m
Capacity
7.5 MW
Location
Hoprigshiels near Cockburnspath in the Scottish Borders
Name
CES and BHA staff submitted names for the windfarm in a competition ultimately won by Marion O’Hara, who suggested they should be called ‘The Fishermen Three’. This name is taken from the poem Wynken, Blynken and Nod by Eugene Field. The poem is a Dutch lullaby about three magical fisherman casting out their “nets of silver and gold”, which is a fitting metaphor for the ‘silver and gold’ that the sails of the turbines will catch and generate for the charities that own them and for the local community. The full poem is available to read here.
Economic Benefits
A long-standing commitment made by Berwickshire Community Renewables has been to make an annual Community Benefit payment agreed as an annual payment of £5000 per megawatt of installed capacity – £37,500 per year. These funds are split equally between the Oldhamstocks Community Association, and Cockburnspath and Cove Community Council.
Aikengall II
Current Status
Aikengall II Community Wind Farm became operational in November 2017.
Owner
Community Windpower Ltd, 1st Floor, 2 Parklands Way, Maxim Business Park, Eurocentral, Motherwell, ML1 4WR
Number of Turbines
19
Type of Turbines
Siemens Direct Drive wind turbines. These wind turbines have a tip height of 145 metres and a generating capacity of 3.2 MW.
Capacity
60.8 MW
Location
Aikengall II Community Wind Farm is located in East Lothian, 6 km south of Innerwick and 11 km southeast of Dunbar. The wind farm forms an extension of Community Windpower’s operational Aikengall Community Wind Farm.
Economic Benefits
Aikengall II Community Wind Farm will provide annual community benefit funding equivalent to £5,000 per MW of installed capacity for the planning permission of the wind farm. Based on an installed capacity of 60.8 MW, this equates to £304,000 per annum, totalling around £7.6 million during the 25 year operational period, for the local host communities.
Kinegar Wind Farm
Current Status
Operational 2019
Owner
Foresight Group, The Shard, 32 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9SG
Phone: +44 (0)20 3667 8100
Number of Turbines
2
Type of Turbines
Nordex N90 2.5 MW turbines
Capacity
5 MW
Location
Neuk Farm near Cockburnspath in the Scottish Borders
Economic Benefits
Kinnegar Wind Farm will provide funding to local communities administered by Foundation Scotland
Crystal Rig III
Current Status
Operational 2019
Owner
Fred. Olsen Renewables Ltd, 2nd Floor 64-65 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2NU
Tel.: +44 (0)207 963 8904
Number of Turbines: 6
Type of Turbines: Siemens SWT-2.3-93
Capacity: 13.8MW
Location: Crystal Rig Phase III is the extension, to the successful Crystal Rig I and Crystal Rig II projects. The extension is on the northern side of Crystal Rig II, 1.3km to the south of the Lothian Edge and 3km north of the summit of Birk Cleugh Hill.
Economic Benefits
See Crystal Rig above.
Crystal Rig IV
Current Status
Consented - March 2021 - Notice of Decision
Owner
Fred. Olsen Renewables Ltd, 2nd Floor 64-65 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2NU
Tel.: +44 (0)207 963 8904
Number of Turbines: 11
Type of Turbines:
- Four at up to 149.9 m tip height.
- Three at up to 174.5 m tip height.
- Four at up to 200 m tip height.
Capacity: MW
Location: Crystal Rig IV Wind Farm , Crichness, Scottish Borders, TD11 3SR
Economic Benefits
See Crystal Rig above.
© 2023 OldhamstocksVillage. All rights reserved.