Project Updates
These are the latest project updates for Craig Watch Wind Farm
Latest news
The Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division’s (DPEA) three-day hearing session for the Craig Watch Wind Farm public inquiry begin this week and will continue until 25 September.
These sessions give us the opportunity to engage with consultees around the issues of:
o Landscape and site
o Cultural heritage
o Planning policy and community considerations
o Proposed planning conditions
We would like to thank everyone that has engaged with our project as part of these sessions.
If you have any further project-related questions, please get in touch with the project team.
Ahead of the upcoming Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) hearing sessions for our proposed development, we have developed a resource that provides further information on topics of particular interest to the local community and outlines our commitments in these areas.
This covers further information around:
- Cumulative impact
- Landscape and cultural heritage
- Community effects
- Residential impacts
- Energy and planning policy
You can access this resource here.
A new report, Watt Communities Want, commissioned by 11 of the UK’s top energy trade bodies, has reiterated the need for projects like Craig Watch.
The report highlights the positive contribution renewable energy makes to energy security and the industrial opportunities that clean energy brings.
In partnership with Edinburgh Science, we were delighted to bring a series of interactive STEM workshops to Towie, Rhynie, Lumsden, Glass, Mortlach, and Botriphnie primary schools.
These sessions are a part of our STEM workshops programme, where primary schools near our wind projects are given the opportunity to receive fully funded interactive workshops to entertain and inspire students for future learning.
Additional information has been submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU) to provide further detail on the proposed grid connection route for Craig Watch Wind Farm.
Craig Watch Wind Farm has received an objection from Moray Council and has been transferred to the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Government for a Public Local Inquiry.
This takes the proposal into another stage of the planning process. All the inquiry documents and additional information can be found on the DPEA website.
Supplementary environmental information (SEI) for Craig Watch Wind Farm has been submitted to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Units (ECU).
SEIs provide additional information or changes to allow planners to make their decision on an application, often at the request of statutory consultees.
Based on feedback from consultees and changes in the renewable energy sector since Craig Watch’s application was submitted, a number of changes have been made. These include:
- Removal of one turbine and optimisation of the remaining ten turbines
- Removal of the proposed Battery Energy Storage System
- Relocation of the substation and construction compounds
Technical appendices dealing with peat and forestry have been updated based on these changes. An updated carbon assessment, submitted as part of the SEI, found that the wind farm will continue to pay all carbon emissions associated with its construction and operation within two years of becoming operational.
Following this SEI submission, a new period of consultation began, lasting until 15 December 2024. Full details of how to respond to the ECU can be found in the SEI Public Notice. Copies of the SEI are available on the project website as well as the ECU website (Ref. ECU00002177).
On November 12, project manager John Wallace and community liaison Seumas Skinner will be Dufftown Farmers Market to provide updates on the project and answer any questions.
Drop by the stall to find out about the latest progress on the project or to sign-up to the local supplier register.
Statkraft has submitted plans for a new windfarm near Dufftown, Moray, to the Scottish Government.
The submitted plans propose 11 turbines sited 8km to the south-east of Dufftown in the north-east of Scotland. With a turbine height of 200m, the wind farm is expected to have a capacity of approximately 72.6MW - enough energy to power around 86,000 homes.
Local communities in Moray and Aberdeenshire are expected to benefit from the development of the wind farm, which will see an annual community benefit fund deliver £5,000 per installed MW of capacity every year. This is expected to generate in the region of £363,000 per year for local causes.
John Wallace, Project Manager for Statkraft said:
“We are pleased to be able to submit the application for the Craig Watch Wind Farm. We have worked hard over the last two years to engage with the local communities, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to contribute and provide feedback.”
The full planning application documents can be viewed on the project website www.craigwatch.co.uk or on the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit website under reference ECU00002177.
Statkraft is a member of the Moray Chamber of Commerce, Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce and the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group and have announced their intention to work with the trade bodies and other business groups to maximise the opportunities for local suppliers and opportunities in the local area. Interested local suppliers are encouraged to register their capabilities on the Local Suppliers Register here.
For the sixth consecutive year, Statkraft have released its Low Emissions Scenario - an analysis of the energy world towards 2050.
The Scenario covers the energy transition necessary to move towards a low emissions world.
We wish to thank everyone who took the time to participate in our recent public consultation, and particularly those who attended our in-person events on 16 and 17 November in Dufftown and Glass.
The second consultation events for Craig Watch Wind Farm will be held between 4-24 November 2021.
A report has been published on how to maximise the economic benefits of clean power for consumers while ensuring that the UK reaches net zero emissions at the lowest cost.
One of the most common questions we are asked when developing our projects is 'Why here?".
Thank you to all residents and interested groups who took the time to visit our online consultation regarding our plans for Craig Watch Wind Farm between 5 - 31 March.
We are pleased to announce the online consultation for our proposed Craig Watch Wind Farm has commenced.
In March 2021 we held our first session of online community engagement which asked for feedback on a draft wind farm layout. In addition to receiving questions and comments through the consultation website, we also received valuable feedback by phone and post.
We are pleased to submit a Scoping Request to the Scottish Government to progress our plans for Craig Watch 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.
Wildfires which devastated much of the Moray countryside in the north of Scotland last year have led to increased environmental benefits being proposed by Europe’s largest renewable energy producer.
