Lewis Wind Power has welcomed the view expressed by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar as principal consultee for its proposed wind farm to the west of Stornoway. A meeting of the full council on Thursday 13 October endorsed the proposal for a large scale wind farm on the general area identified in the Halcrow Report.
The decision follows last week’s recommendation regarding the Stornoway Wind Farm from the Comhairle‘s Environment and Protective Services Committee. This means that the Council will be recommending that a Public Inquiry is not held and that the proposed area for the project is appropriate.
Ron Peddie, Project Director for Lewis Wind Power said:
“We are delighted to have received this support from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. It is an enormous vote of confidence and reflects the views of individuals, businesses and other organisations in Stornoway who have supported the project to date. We recognise that further engagement is still needed and we will continue to work with the statutory consultees and community to address any concerns.
“We expect to bring significant economic benefits to the Western Isles. The socio-economic assessment estimates that £48 million of materials and labour are predicted to be sourced within the Western Isles during the construction phase. This will complement the benefits that will be realised through the Community Trust which has an option to take a 20% share of the wind farm.”
The Scottish Government has set a deadline of 7 November for views before it makes its expected decision in the spring of next year.
The Stornoway Wind Farm project is being driven forward by Lewis Wind Power in partnership with the Stornoway Trust. Lewis Wind Power is a joint venture between AMEC and EDF Energy.
The application (submitted 30 June 2011) is for 42 turbines, capable of producing up to 151MW of energy, located to the west of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. The proposed wind farm would provide enough clean energy to power approximately 100,000 homes. The application is based on the turbine layout that was presented at a Public Exhibition in Stornoway in March of this year.