Galileo Empower, which is developing the Dorenell wind farm extension project in Scotland, has launched a public consultation on local electricity support.
The Dorenell wind farm extension project is located in Cabrach, south of Dufftown and local people are being asked about how, and to what degree, those living near the site should receive support towards their electricity bills from when the project starts operations.
Galileo is encouraging local views to come forward to inform the final scheme they propose as part of a wider community benefit offer that could provide up to £2.7m per year for the local area.
The consultation can be reached on the project website and is open until the end of the year.
The original proposal from Galileo was for a 74-turbine wind farm in the Cabrach, south of Dufftown, and was the subject of public exhibitions during May in Dufftown and Cabrach in Moray, as well as Glenbuchat in Aberdeenshire.
The developer expects to return and repeat the consultation exercise with updated and final proposals in early 2025.
The team behind the proposals, led by Galileo’s senior project manager Jason Morin, are keen the benefits of power generated are made available to local people, recognising that in the past, too often community benefit funds have been poorly allocated, or under used for the benefit of locals.
Morin said: “We recognise that recent spikes in electricity prices have been especially difficult for local people, and we want to be good neighbours to local communities and ensure our support makes the biggest difference for those nearby.
“We have already announced that everyone in the immediate local area will receive a payment every year equivalent to the average annual electricity bill, but the scale of our development makes possible something that goes much wider, and deeper.
“However, there remains much to be set out in the detail of our scheme, including the level of support as you move away from the immediate local area.
“We are determined that our innovative project, delivering both clean, green power and also one of the largest peatland restoration projects in the country, also makes a tangible difference for local people.”
The Dorenell Extension Wind Farm and Biodiversity Enhancement Plan is in the initial stages of development.
The proposals are for 74 turbines, a battery energy storage scheme and a peatland restoration project that would be one of the biggest of its kind ever created.
The proposal will be subject to further public consultation shortly, before a formal planning application is submitted in 2025.