A Section 36 planning application has been submitted by RES for a 16-turbine wind farm proposal at Hill of Fare in Scotland.
RES said the 105.6MW project, located approximately 6km north of Banchory, could create a £150m boost for the local economy.
It is predicted to deliver £14m of investment in Aberdeenshire during construction and a further £66m of economic activity linked to operations and maintenance work, during the wind farm’s operational life.
Furthermore, it has been estimated that approximately £50m could be paid in business rates to Aberdeenshire Council, supporting vital local services, alongside a proposed community benefit package of over £26m.
If consented, the wind farm would be capable of generating enough clean, low-cost electricity for around 101,000 homes each year or enough electricity to power 169,000 electric cars per annum, representing 18% of the current EV fleet in the UK.
Gavin Shirley, Development Project Manager at RES, added: “We welcome the UK Government’s recent commitment to attracting record levels of investment in renewable energy in the King’s Speech.
“Projects like Hill of Fare are a key part of that investment pipeline and could deliver millions of pounds of benefit for local businesses and communities for decades to come.
“As part of the plans at Hill of Fare we’re proposing a tailored community benefit package for the local area, which would be worth £528,000 each year or £26.4m over the project’s lifetime.
“This package would be agreed with the surrounding communities and could include RES’ unique Local Electricity Discount Scheme (LEDS), which offers an annual discount to the electricity bills of those properties closest to the wind farm, something that has received strong interest from the community.”
The planning submission includes a proposed cultural heritage walking trail involving designated pathways and interpretation boards to link key heritage assets in the local area.
Furthermore, RES has been working with the landowner to explore other potential opportunities to support access and recreation across the site, including potentially renovating the old shooting lodge as a place of shelter and visitor information and creating car-parking facilities for the Hill of Fare.