In the coming week, RES is holding public exhibitions in the local area to enable people to learn more about the project, discuss any questions with the project team, and provide feedback on the initial design. There will be a range of information at the exhibitions, including visualisations to help give an impression of what the current site design and layout will look like from different viewpoints in the area.
The proposal first became public in January when RES submitted a Scoping Report to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit seeking feedback from key consultees on the proposed scope of environmental work. If consented, Torfichen Wind Farm would be capable of generating enough clean, low-cost electricity to meet the annual demand of around 85,000 homes and is predicted to deliver approximately £5.3 million of inward investment into the area in the form of jobs, employment, and the use of local services.
“The public exhibition events form part of our pre-application consultation on the Torfichen Wind Farm proposal and we’re keen to engage with the community at an early stage so that people’s feedback can be considered in relation to the design work that we will be undertaking over the coming months” said Danny McLean, Development Project Manager at RES. “In addition to people’s comments on the proposal itself, we would also like to understand how the wind farm could support local priorities through the delivery of a tailored community benefits package. RES has developed a unique Local Electricity Discount Scheme which has benefited other communities around our wind farms in the past and we’re keen to learn if this is also of interest at Torfichen or whether the community has other ideas to help secure long-term economic, social and environmental benefits. We’re also looking to build our knowledge of local skills and capabilities and explore ways of maximising inward investment to the local area from the project, so if you’re a local business interested in getting involved in onshore wind projects please come along to the exhibitions and talk to our team.”
Onshore and offshore wind, together with large scale solar, is the cheapest form of electricity generation. It also increases energy security by reducing reliance on imports and building our resilience to sudden fossil fuel price fluctuations or the uncertainty of global markets. With the current cost of living crisis and climate change emergency, projects like Torfichen are not just good for the environment and the consumer, they are crucial in helping support the transition to a zero-carbon future.
In Scotland, RES has developed/or constructed 21 wind farms with a total generation capacity of 597 MW. The Scottish Government has set a legally binding target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045 and onshore wind projects like Torfichen will play an important role in helping to achieve these targets.
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