Community Benefit
The Stornoway Trust is working with the community around Stornoway to develop plans for the use of the income they will receive from the construction and operation of a wind farm on their land. These plans are at a very early stage and they will be consulting with local residents on where and on what this money will be best spent. Like us, they are keen to see that this income provides a valuable fund for key community needs, and creating new prospects.
The current intention is to maximise community benefits through the formation of a Community Trust which will represent all community interests. The Community Trust will make decisions about the how the money is invested in the community. Please contact The Stornoway Trust if you are interested in this particular aspect.
Job Creation
There will be many opportunities for job creation throughout the lifetime of the project. During the construction phase alone £48 million of materials and labour are predicted to be sourced within the Western Isles. This phase could also support 196 jobs in the Western Isles and a further 181 in the rest of Scotland. Over and above the predicted job creation during construction there will be further jobs to support the maintenance of the turbines and associated infrastructure such as cables, electrical gear, access roads and drainage systems throughout the wind farm’s operational lifetime. Knock-on effects from the increased expenditure in the area will also present opportunities for local economic gain.
It is expected that a 150MW wind farm would have a capital cost in the region of £225 million with a considerable proportion injected into local supply chains.
Business Opportunities
We are seeking to develop ways of maximising local income from the project, throughout all of its stages. So if you have a local business, please let us know about your services and capabilities. We will be looking at ways that locally based companies can access supply chain opportunities, including accommodation opportunities.
We particularly welcome hearing about your business so that we can include you in our plans and make us aware of what is available locally.
Carbon Savings
Scotland has set some of the most demanding carbon reduction targets in the world; CO2 emissions are to be reduced by 80% by 2050. Renewable energy uses the planet’s sustainable resources to provide a low carbon solution to energy generation, producing carbon savings when compared to fossil fuel based technologies such as coal and oil fired power stations and petrol consuming cars. We predict that the carbon saving for this project is likely to be in the order of 290,000 tonnes and over 103,000 homes will be able to be powered.