Craig Nab Wind Energy Hub application lodged with Dumfries & Galloway Council
A proposal for Craig Nab Wind Energy Hub on land 3.3km east of New Luce, has now been lodged with Dumfries & Galloway Council by Belltown Power UK Wind Limited (Belltown). The application has been validated by the Council and is now live on the Council’s website ref 24/2545/FUL.
The proposal is for five wind turbines with tip heights ranging between 200m and 230m and a total generating capacity of approximately 33 MW, in addition to a battery energy storage facility with a capacity up to 3.8 MW. The 145-hectare proposed site currently comprises open moorland which is used as grazing land.
This wind energy hub will contribute to Scotland’s renewable energy targets and will help balance the grid as the UK continues to decarbonise.
The proposal has been lodged following an 18-month long public consultation that included a series of public exhibitions and meetings with community councils, other local community organisations, local businesses and residents. Belltown has also consulted with statutory bodies including MOD, NatureScot, Historic Environment Scotland and Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
Some 81 people attended the public exhibitions held in June 2023 and March 2024 and another 103 visited the virtual exhibition on the website. Belltown received 123 feedback forms. Analysis of the feedback shows that 6 in 10 local people (62%) agreed that the proposed site is suitable for a wind farm. Support for onshore wind more generally is strong in the area, with 71% of respondents expressing support for onshore wind farms.
A project that maximises local benefits and clean energy
Speaking about the project, Fraser Shepherd, Development Manager at Belltown, said, “We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to respond to our consultation and to give us their views over the last 18 months. This has been invaluable in helping us shape our final proposals and in understanding local people’s priorities. We will work together with the local community and the landowners to deliver a project that maximises local benefits and clean energy, whilst sympathetically protecting and enhancing the natural environment.”
Belltown will provide the local community with £5,000 per MW installed per year (index linked) of community benefit for the lifetime of the project. Feedback from the public consultation exercise showed strong support for an energy discount scheme (EDS), making up 70% of all suggestions made. Based on this feedback, Belltown proposes to use a large portion of the community benefit fund on an EDS, with the remaining money going to fund community projects in the area, if the wind farm is consented.
The electricity discount scheme: how it would work
Each household and business within approximately 10km of the site will be invited to participate in Belltown’s EDS. Once a property has applied to the EDS, a £150 (index linked) discount will be deducted from their energy bill each year. The EDS will operate for the full 40-year operational lifespan of the project.
Belltown will use all remaining funds after the EDS to provide a community benefit fund of around £60,000 per year for the lifetime of the project, to be distributed between existing local community groups.
The public consultations found that respondents would like the community benefit funds to be used to improve community facilities. A number of other respondents had ideas for how the project can enhance local biodiversity.
Discussions have already started with New Luce Community Council to determine how the community benefit fund might be administered, should the wind farm be consented.
A ground-breaking community ownership scheme
As the project progresses, Belltown will continue discussions about a potential community stake in the project. Belltown offers a ground-breaking Community Ownership scheme that can bring tangible benefits via the revenue generated by owning a stake in a renewable energy project. Local communities that host the wind energy hubs are offered 1% of the project ownership for free with a further 4% stake available to purchase at cost, once the project is operational.
Fraser Shepherd added; “At Belltown, we fundamentally believe that renewable energy projects should benefit the communities that host them and we look forward to continuing our discussions with local people about the benefits that this proposal can deliver, as the application progresses.”
Should the proposal be consented, Belltown will aim to start construction in 2027. The company offers a procurement policy that favours local contractors to ensure they and local suppliers benefit from the project.
Next steps for the planning application
The application will be determined by Dumfries & Galloway Council. Copies of the Non-Technical Summary and a digital copy of full planning application have been sent to New Luce, the host community council, with a full hard copy placed in Stranraer, at Ashwood House, Sun Street, Stranraer DG9 7JJ, available for public viewing. The submission and all the associated documents can be viewed on 24/2545/FUL | Craig Nab Wind Energy Hub or at www.craignabwindenergyhub.com
People now have until 09 March 2025 to make formal representations to Dumfries & Galloway Council about the proposal.
Key Facts
- Number of turbines: 5
- Size of turbines: maximum tip height of 230m
- Battery Storage: Plans to co-locate battery storage with the wind farm to maximise the use of the grid connection
- Lifespan: 40 years of operation
- Biodiversity Enhancement: 16 ha of degraded peatland on the site will be set aside and actively managed to enhance the biodiversity of the existing mire habitats. Furthermore, 500 m of native tree planting will be undertaken along the nearby Drumpail Burn to help protect and enhance the Special Area of Conservation that the burn is part of.