Plans revealed for more turbines at West Lothian wind farm

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A local wind farm operator has submitted a planning application for a three turbine extension at Drumduff Wind Farm.The development at Blackridge will comprise of up to three turbines, bringing the overall Drumduff Wind Farm to six.As part of the development the company has also made a commitment to provide £5,000 per MW of installed generation capacity to the local community.

This will build on the existing Drumduff development fund that has supported the construction of the boardwalk at Blawhorn Moss, and provided support to local people during the covid pandemic through food vouchers for families and activity packs for Blackridge Primary School pupils.Development Manager Sam Layton said: “The project will complement the existing wind farm at Drumduff and will fit well in the proposed area.“Local community feedback is an important part of the planning process, and feedback has helped us finalise the design to avoid native woodland areas and maximise biodiversity benefits from the project.”The existing wind farm is owned and operated by GreenPower and its partners, Thrive Renewables.Director of Development George Baxter added: “At a time when the climate emergency demands new sources of green energy, this project is proposed in a great location, extending an existing wind farm located in a well-established area of wind developments, and for a small number of turbines with high energy yield.“Careful consideration has been put into the design, and modern, highly efficient turbines proposed are up to 149.9m tip height, providing a total capacity of around 15 megawatts while avoiding the need for aviation lighting.