Sanquhar II
Current Status
Community Windpower submitted a Section 36 planning application for Sanquhar II Community Wind Farm to the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) in March 2019. The application now seeks permission for up to 44 turbines, with a generating capacity of 308MW.
An ‘Additional Information’ request was made via Regulation 19 by the ECU, following formal consultation with statutory and non-statutory consultees and, in August 2020, this ‘Additional Information’ was formally submitted to the ECU.
Sanquhar II Community Wind Farm was referred to The Scottish Government Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) on the 16th December 2020. The public inquiry was held in October 2021 and on the 31st August 2023, the project received a consent decision from the Scottish Ministers. The decision notice can be read by clicking here.
Project Information
The design of Sanquhar II Community Wind Farm has been amended from the original submission by reducing the number of turbines from 50 to 44. Two of the turbines will be 149m to tip, with the remaining turbines being 200m to tip. The proposal also includes an energy storage facility to improve grid stability and benefit renewable electricity production.
The proposed wind farm will make a significant contribution towards meeting Scotland’s renewable energy and climate change targets.
Site Location
Sanquhar II Community Wind Farm is located on the border of Dumfries and Galloway and East Ayrshire, approximately 6.5 km south of Sanquhar and 14 km north west of Thornhill. The wind farm will form a natural extension to the operational Sanquhar Community Wind Farm which lies to the north of the site.
Environmental Benefits
Sanquhar II Community Wind Farm will employ the latest modern wind turbine technology to create an optimised, efficient and productive site. This means the proposed development would contribute towards achieving Scotland’s renewable energy and climate change targets by producing enough electricity to power 335,000 homes annually and would offset more than 546,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum which equates to 21.85 million tonnes during its 40-year operational life – compared to fossil fuel mixed electricity generation.
The proposal will provide a significant contribution to the Scottish net-zero emissions target for 2045 and UK target for 2050, in addition to the Scottish renewable energy target of 100% equivalent.
Economic Benefits
Sanquhar II Community Wind Farm will contribute significant financial benefit to the local communities through a community benefit fund of £5,000 per MW of the available grid capacity for the scheme over its lifetime. Each area would need its own trust fund, whether new or existing, to manage and administer the funding.
In addition, Community Windpower will look to invest in the development of community assets with local communities, such as broadband and electric vehicle charging points.
The proposed wind farm will contribute £154m to the East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway Councils through business rates, during its operational lifetime.
It will also create new employment opportunities and support local businesses through Community Windpower’s ‘Buy Scottish’ Policy. Further details on this can be seen here.
Further information
Sanquhar II Community Wind Farm has its own dedicated website where further information can be found, including all planning application and additional information documentation:
