16 turbine Banffshire wind farm application to go before Scottish Ministers
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Vattenfall has submitted a planning application to Scottish Ministers for its redesigned 16-turbine Aultmore Wind Farm proposal.
The scheme, which lies approximately 6km north of Keith and 7km south of Buckie, almost quadruples the generation capacity of the previously consented 13-turbine Aultmore Wind Farmand would be capable of generating enough electricity annually for 117,000 homes compared to the original scheme’s 22,000 homes.
If consented, the project could also deliver a community benefit fund of around £528,000 each year or a total of £18.4 million over the scheme’s 35-year operational life cycle – in addition to over £1.3 million in business rates to Moray Council each year.
The project would potentially offset more than 177,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year and achieve carbon payback in just over a year.
A peat management plan to restore areas of degraded peat as well as a strategy to enhance biodiversity on site delivers further environmental benefits.
Care has also been taken to design the scheme in a manner which safeguards private water supplies, protects wildlife and habitats on site, and minimises construction traffic impact.
Lucy Blake, Vattenfall’s Project Manager for Aultmore Wind Farm, said: “Turbine technology has advanced considerably since the original Aultmore scheme was consented, with more powerful turbines becoming available. Given the climate emergency that we’re all facing, it makes absolute sense to maximise the site’s contribution to Scotland’s net zero targets and the UK’s COP28 pledge to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.
“We’ve consulted extensively with the community, having held seven public consultation events during the scheme’s design phase, and widely communicated the project in order to raise awareness and encourage engagement.
"We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share their views with us and their feedback, together with the findings from our site surveys and key consultee feedback, has helped to shape the design."
The planning submission and associated documentation can be viewed and downloaded from the project website at www.vattenfall.co.uk/aultmoreas well as from the ECU’s planning portal at www.energyconsents.scot. Hard copies are also being made available by Vattenfall in the local area for public viewing.
The proposal will be determined by the Scottish Government rather than Moray Council due to the installed capacity being greater than 50MW.
A statutory consultation period will be advertised shortly by the Scottish Government to enable the public, as well as statutory consultees, to submit representations on the proposal.
A determination will then be made by Scottish Ministers once comments have been assessed against the proposal.
Aultmore Wind Farm was originally consented in 2014 by Moray Council as a 13-turbine scheme with tip heights of 110m and an installed capacity of 29MW. Aultmore Wind Farm Redesign proposes a 16 turbine scheme, with turbines 200m to tip.
The addition of three turbines has almost quadrupled the generating capacity of this site, from 29MW to just over 105MW. This uplift in energy production is due to technological advances and greater tip heights. This is why 200m is now a typical height for new onshore wind farms to meet the Scottish Government’s target to double onshore wind from 9GW to 20GW by 2030.
