Success for Hill of Fare Wind Farm consultation

The four-week pre-application consultation, which closed last Friday, has generated record levels of feedback for the 17-turbine Hill of Fare proposal to the north of Banchory.

The consultation was initiated by public exhibitions in mid-October which attracted more than 370 people across four events. It has since generated more than 360 comments forms – one of the largest number of responses ever received by RES to a UK onshore wind farm proposal.

Gavin Shirley, Development Project Manager at RES, explained: “We are delighted with the levels of engagement received from the community as we wanted to consult early with people on the proposals to maximise the potential for their comments to influence the design over the coming months.

“Onshore wind, together with large scale solar and offshore wind, is the cheapest form of electricity generation, and projects like Hill of Fare can play an important role in not only helping to tackle the climate change emergency but also the cost of living crisis. Onshore wind provides sustainable, low-carbon electricity which can be deployed quickly and delivered at lower costs than other technologies.

“After we have finished reviewing the consultation feedback our project team will carefully consider people’s comments in relation to the design, together with the technical and environmental survey work and key consultee responses. We would like to thank all those who took the time to share their feedback with us.”

RES seeks to be a power for good in communities that neighbour its projects by working openly and constructively to ensure tangible local benefits and there are a number of ways that this can be achieved. As part of the recent consultation, RES has begun to seek feedback on ideas for a tailored package of community benefits including priority projects that people would like to see supported or delivered should the Hill of Fare Wind Farm proposal receive consent. The project team will continue to work directly with the community to understand how the wind farm could support the local area and help to secure long-term economic, social and environmental benefits.

If consented, Hill of Fare Wind Farm would be capable of generating enough clean, low-cost electricity to meet the annual demand of around 90,000 homes. In addition, the scheme is currently predicted to deliver approximately £4.7 million of inward investment into the area in the form of jobs, employment, and the use of local services – as well as approximately £1.1 million in business rates payable each year to Aberdeenshire Council during operation.

A second set of public exhibition events will be held closer to submission of the planning application, which is currently scheduled around spring 2023, to update people on the proposal and present the final design. These events will be advertised in advance and provide people with the opportunity to speak to the project team again and provide written feedback to RES.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About RES

RES is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company and is active in onshore and offshore wind, solar, energy storage, green hydrogen, transmission and distribution. As an industry innovator for over 40 years, RES has delivered more than 23GW of renewable energy projects across the globe and supports an operational asset portfolio exceeding 10GW worldwide for a large client base. Understanding the unique needs of corporate clients, RES has secured over 1.5GW of corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) enabling access to energy at the lowest cost. RES employs over 2,500 passionate people and is active in 11 countries. Visit www.res-group.com

In Scotland, RES has developed/or constructed 21 wind farms with a total generation capacity of 597MW. The Scottish Government has set a legally binding target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045 and onshore wind projects like Hill of Fare will play an important role in helping to achieve these targets.

CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Callum Whiteford

RES Press Office

+44 141 404 5560

+44 7500 937 925

[email protected]