A wind turbine photographed from near its base

Coille Beith Wind Farm

Coille Beith Wind Farm is a new wind farm proposal for an area of land south of the River Oykel, and approximately 18km south-west of Lairg.

We are proposing to construct a maximum of 11 turbines with a height of up to 200m to tip. If the project is consented, we will be generating enough power for an estimated 78,000 homes per year, helping Scotland meet its Net Zero emissions target by 2045.

Feedback from our public exhibitions, held in September 2024 and April 2025, and results from our Environmental Impact Assessment Surveys have allowed us to make significant alterations to our design during development, including removal of a proposed battery site and a reduction in the number of turbines.

Our full Section 36 Application was submitted to the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit in July 2025 and advertised on 15 July 2025. The full application can be viewed on the Energy Consents Unit website (Ref. ECU00005173) or in the Planning Application section of our website. For details on how to make a representation to the Energy Consents Unit, please see the Public Notice

All materials from our previous exhibitions remain available online in the Project Documents section of this website. We welcome any further questions about the project via our Get in Touch page.

 

PUBLIC NOTICE

COILLE BEITH WIND FARM LIMITED

ELECTRICITY ACT 1989

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (SCOTLAND) ACT 1997

THE ELECTRICITY WORKS (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT) (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2017

Notice is hereby given that Coille Beith Wind Farm Limited, (“the Company”) with company registration number 13813629, having its registered office at 19th Floor 22 Bishopsgate, London, United Kingdom, EC2N 4BQ has applied to the Scottish Ministers for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to construct and operate Coille Beith Wind Farm on land approximately 18 kilometres (km) southwest of Lairg and 20 km northwest of Bonar Bridge, the Highlands, Scotland (approximate Ordnance Survey (OS) National Grid Reference (NGR) for Site centre: NH415986). The expected installed wind capacity in megawatts (MW) would be up to 79.2 MW, comprising 11 turbines with a ground-to-blade tip height of up to 200 metres. The proposed Development is subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and an EIA Report has been produced.

The Company has also requested a direction under section 57(2) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 that planning permission for the proposed Development be deemed to be granted.

A copy of the application, with a plan showing the land to which it relates, together with a copy of the EIA Report discussing the Company’s proposals in more detail and presenting an analysis of the environmental implications, are available for public inspection in person, free of charge, during normal opening hours at:

The HUB (Kyle Of Sutherland Hub)

Monday: 9am to 7pm
Tuesday: 9am to 7pm
Wednesday: 9am to 7pm
Thursday: 9am to 7pm
Friday: 9am to 4pm
Saturday: 9am to 4pm
Sunday: 10am to 3pm

The HUB (Kyle Of Sutherland Hub)
South Bonar Estate
Bonar Bridge
Sutherland
IV24 3AQ  
Lairg Access Point

Monday: 10am to 2pm
Tuesday: 12pm to 3:30pm, 4pm to 7pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 10am to 2pm
Friday: 12pm to 3pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Lairg Access Point Community Centre
Main Street
Lairg
IV27 4DD  

The EIA Report can also be viewed on the application website at  www.coille-beith.co.uk or at www.energyconsents.scot under application reference ECU00005173.

Copies of the EIA Report may be obtained from 0800 772 0668/email: uk-post@statkraft.com at a charge of £1,500 per hard copy or free of charge on a USB storage device. Copies of a short Non-Technical Summary are available free of charge.

Any representations on the application may be submitted by email to the Scottish Ministers via representations@gov.scot or by post to the Scottish Government, Energy Consents Unit, 4th Floor, 5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw, Glasgow, G2 8LU, identifying the proposal and specifying the grounds for representation.

Written or emailed representations should be dated, clearly stating the name (in block capitals) and full postal address of those making representations. Emailed representations should also include the full return email address of those making representations. Only representations sent by email to representations@gov.scot will receive an acknowledgement.

All representations should be received not later than Monday 25th August 2025, although the Scottish Ministers may consider representations received after this date.

Any subsequent additional information which the Company submits will be subject to further public notice in this manner, and representations to such information will be accepted as per this notice.

Where the Scottish Ministers are required to, or decide to exercise their discretion to do so, they can cause a public inquiry to be held.

Following examination of the environmental information, the Scottish Ministers will determine the application for consent in one of two ways:

  • Consent the proposal, with or without conditions attached; or
  • Reject the proposal.

General Data Protection Regulations

The Scottish Government processes representations under the Electricity Act 1989. To support transparency in decision-making, the Scottish Government publishes online at www.energyconsents.scot.

A privacy notice is published on the Help page at www.energyconsents.scot. This explains how the Scottish Government processes your personal information. If you have any concerns about the processing of your personal information by the Scottish Government, please email Econsents_Admin@gov.scot or write to Scottish Government, Energy Consents Unit, 4th Floor, 5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw, Glasgow, G2 8LU.

 

Project timeline

  • Stage 1: Site Selection (12 months)

    Extensive research to identify suitable sites. No public engagement is carried out during this time because the site may not pass the criteria required.

     

     

  • Stage 2: Pre-Planning (12 - 18 months)

    Request the view of Highland Council on the level of study required (known as "Scoping"). Sometimes an application for a Met Mast is submitted to measure wind speed at the site.

     
     
  • Stage 3: Submit Planning Application, and Decision (12 months)

    An application is submitted to the Highland Council, accompanied by a comprehensive EIA Report showing the results of all studies undertaken. This is publicly available information.

     

  • Stage 4: Construction (12 - 18 months

    If approved, construction begins at least one year after consent. Construction typically takes 12-18 months and planning conditions are used to manage elements of construction.

     

  • Stage 5: Operation (up to 50 years)

    Turbines are managed by an on-site maintenance team, and operation is controlled by detailed planning conditions. A community fund is active throughout to support worthwhile community initiatives.

     

  • Stage 6: Decommissioning (12 months)

    At the end of the planning period, turbines are removed and the site restored. A financial bond is in place to cover this cost. 

     

The project team

Fraser Clarke

Project Manager

Seumas Skinner

Community Liaison Manager

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