RES has a filed a planning application with the Highland Council for the eight-turbine Cairnmore Hill onshore wind project, 4.5km north west of Thurso in Caithness, Scotland.
The development could feature eight up to 138.5 metre machines and permission is being sought for up to 50MW capacity.
Grid connection is likely to be to the Thurso South substation.
RES said the scheme was in an area identified by Highland Council as having ‘potential for wind farm development’ and could generate enough electricity for approximately 37,000 homes.
The proposed wind farm has been through several design iterations and two sets of consultation events for the local community to provide feedback. An original 10-turbine scheme was presented at local events in November 2016, featuring 125 metre tip heights.
RES said it has seen a growing level of support for the proposal, with 60% of comment forms at their recent consultation event stating that people were ‘happy’ with the updated layout.
It added that it could deliver £12m in business rates to the Highland Council over its life and £2.2m of economic benefit to the local area.
RES senior development manager Graeme Kerr said: “We’ve been really grateful for the comments and feedback received from the community during our exhibition events and it’s encouraging to see the growing support.
“We’ve also been working with the local supply chain in order to understand the skills and capabilities within Caithness and to maximise inward investment from the project wherever possible, should it be consented.”
Caithness company Gow Groundworks owner Alan Gow added that it had seen first-hand the importance of wind projects to the local economy, adding: “It’s great to see a project like Cairnmore Hill going into planning as it will bring a much-needed economic boost to the area and local businesses if consented.”