A member of the Statkraft development team has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Scottish Renewables Young Professionals Green Energy Awards 2020.

The annual industry award is dedicated to individuals starting their career in the renewable energy sector, recognising those who have achieved beyond all expectations, pioneering new ideas with the drive and ambition to change the industry for the better.

John Wallace, Project Manager at Statkraft was selected from over 100 nominations as a finalist in the Project Development category, in what the organisers describe as a “huge achievement”.

John said: “It’s a real honour to be a finalist for this industry award, and that my work is judged by others to have merit. I’m passionate about sustainable living and my work very much chimes with that.”

John’s successes have included playing a role in a six-fold increase in the company’s UK onshore wind pipeline in just two years; improving processes and bringing efficiencies; as well as being a dedicated mentor for summer interns. John has also recently started a Masters in Renewable Energy through distance learning at Loughborough University.

Richard Mardon, Head of UK Wind & Solar at Statkraft: “John’s admirable work ethic, enthusiasm, and tenacity in early stage development work make him a deserving finalist. He brings great credit to himself and the company.”

Scottish Renewables have moved the Young Professionals Green Energy Awards online this year, and

the award winner will be announced on Friday 19 June.

Although face-to-face meetings and events may not be able to happen until social distancing restrictions are lifted, we are confident that we can continue to carry out meaningful engagement in our project areas using a digital first approach. Our report Community Engagement during COVID-19 sets out some of the methods and tools we will utilise to do this.

We have created this project website at the earliest opportunity, to allow those interested in the project to keep up to date with project news.

At the moment, there’s not a lot to say about the project because we are still seeking feedback from statutory bodies through the scoping process. But please register for updates and be assured that we will keep you up to date as the project progresses.

We are pleased to submit a Scoping Request to the Scottish Government to progress our plans for Artfield Forest Wind Farm. The proposals are at an early stage and the Scoping Request to the Scottish Government seeks to continue our investigations and receive early feedback from consultees.

Recent discussions have taken place with the Energy Consents Unit and Dumfries & Galloway Council, who both confirmed capacity to take forward the application, and we are following Scottish Government advice throughout all of our work in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that there are more important matters due to the current health emergency but we are continuing, where possible, our daily working activity and continuing our investment plans for Scotland.

The proposals for Artfield Forest Wind Farm are at an early stage of the design process. We think there is potential for up to 20 turbines up to 180m high.  The proposals may reduce in scale as our environmental consultants progress their studies and feedback is received from statutory consultees and the local community. Read the project summary.

The eastern section of the Artfield Forest site was the previously consented Gass Wind Farm project which was developed by WilloWind Energy Limited. The planning permission for the Gass Wind Farm project has now lapsed and Statkraft will be submitting an entirely new application for the project. WilloWind Energy Limited has no involvement in the new scheme being developed by Statkraft.

We are enthusiastic about bringing meaningful benefits to local communities. We believe we are the only wind farm developer that has pledged to commission feasibility studies to assess the potential to bring improved access to broadband as part of our projects. We look forward to discussing that in more detail with you.

Despite this project being subsidy-free, we are also committed to delivering £5,000 per MW installed in community benefit funding. Based on 20 x 4MW turbines being installed, this would equate to £400,000 year - totalling over £10 million during the lifetime of the project.

We have a history of engaging with the community, and have confidence that we can still do that despite face-to-face meetings not being possible at this time. We welcome the opportunity to speak with local residents and community groups by phone or video call at an appropriate time to outline our proposals in more detail, introduce some of the team and receive any early feedback.

Please Register for project updates, or Contact Us with your questions or comments.