Statkraft, Europe’s largest renewable power generator, welcomes the news that the Scottish Government has given its consent to Artfield Forest Wind Farm.
Artfield Forest Wind Farm was Statkraft’s first project to progress through the planning and development process entirely under Covid-19 restrictions. All consultation was carried out online, from being introduced to local communities and statutory consultees back in May 2020, through submission to the Energy Consents Unit in April 2021.
As Statkraft’s development team were unable to meet with stakeholders in person, we would like to thank local communities and statutory consultees for engaging with us throughout the development phase through online exhibitions, chat sessions, and video calls to hear more about our plans, and provide feedback to help refine the project.
It is estimated that the 12 turbine Artfield Forest Wind Farm will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 60,0001 homes. The 67MW project was well received by the local community, with 57% of respondents agreeing that Artfield Forest was a good location for a wind farm. The local planning authority, Dumfries and Galloway Council, decided to 'raise no objection' to the application and Statkraft were pleased that the project also received no objections from key statutory consultees, including NatureScot, SEPA, and Historic Environment Scotland.
With consent secured, the focus now turns towards delivering the expected benefits within the local area during construction and operation.
The project is estimated to be worth up to £72m during the development stage. During construction, spend in Scotland is expected to be up to £27m with an estimated investment of up to £8.7m into the local economy. As a member of the Dumfries & Galloway Chamber of Commerce, we look forward to working with them in the future to create awareness of the opportunities available to local companies.
Up to £336,000 will be available every year to the local area once the wind farm is operational. The funds are a direct result of Statkraft’s commitment to providing a community benefit fund of £5,000 per MW of installed capacity per annum for the lifetime of the project. We look forward to engaging with communities to deliver a fund which meets local priorities.
Statkraft is also committed to offering shared ownership to the community, should there be enough interest. An initial online meeting exploring the principles of shared ownership, hosted by Statkraft, and delivered by Local Energy Scotland, was well received. There will be an opportunity to explore and understand this option as the project progresses towards construction expected at the earliest 2026.
Statkraft’s Senior Project Manager John Wallace said: 'The approval of Artfield Forest Wind Farm is good news for Scottish bill payers and businesses, and will contribute towards achieving greater energy security, and meeting the Scottish Government’s net zero goal by 2045.
'We worked hard to ensure that the wind farm was in keeping with the existing landscape and surrounding developments, and look forward to working with the community to deliver benefits and investment in the local area.'
(1) Based on 12 x 5.6MW turbines, onsite wind speed measurements and average household consumption of 3,618KWh per annum (BEIS 2019)
Source: Statkraft
