WELCOME TO THE BAD Á CHEÒ WIND FARM EXHIBITION

Transcription

1 WELCOME TO THE BAD Á CHEÒ WIND FARM EXHIBITION Thank you for taking the time to attend The purpose of this exhibition is to explain why we have identified this site for a potential wind farm development to describe the various studies which are being undertaken to assess the possible impacts of the development on the environment to display visual representations to show you what the development might look like to offer you the opportunity to express your views and opinions, make suggestions and provide feedback. Details and findings of the environmental and technical studies presented here today will be included in an Environmental Statement (ES) which is the document RWE npower renewables will submit with the planning application to The Highland Council. The full ES document and a non technical summary will be available to the public after the application has been submitted and will be available at The Highland Council offices. Who are RWE npower renewables? RWE npower renewables is the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy and is one of UK s most experienced wind farm developers and operators. We operate 19 hydro stations and 25 wind farms in the UK, including the UK s first major offshore wind farm, North Hoyle. Construction is currently underway on our 576 megawatts (MW) offshore wind farm Gwynt y Môr in Liverpool Bay off the North Wales Coast. A further two are in development Atlantic Array in the Bristol Channel Zone and Triton Knoll, located off the east coast of England. In addition, a new state of the art biomass facility with an installed capacity of 49.9MW is being developed in partnership with papermakers Tullis Russell at Markinch in Fife to supply its plant with steam and electricity. This will replace the existing coal-fired power plant. This picture of Causeymire wind farm is not intended to represent how the wind farm at Bad á Cheò would look

2 THE DEVELOPMENT Location Where Will The Wind Farm Be? RWE npower renewables is investigating the possibility of building and operating a wind farm at Achkeepster, Caithness adjacent to the existing Causeymire Wind Farm off the A9 trunk road. The proposed project, Bad á Cheò Wind Farm, is approximately 15km south of Thurso and 19km west of Wick. The Statistics The wind farm will consist of up to 13 turbines, with an installed capacity of up to 33 megawatts (MW). The site covers approximately 360 hectares, is within the Highland Council s preferred area of development for renewable energy and is situated adjacent to the existing operational Causeymire Wind Farm. each turbine is anticipated to have a capacity of up to 2.5 megawatts (MW) the maximum height to blade tip: 105m the average number of homes supplied: up to 18,000 1 per year the installed capacity: anticipated up to 33MW. Footnotes: 1 The predicted annual energy generation at the site has been calculated using an assumed capacity factor of 30% (DTI Energy Trends UK regional capacity factors ) and is based on an installed capacity factor of 32.5MW. Equivalent homes supplied is based on an annual electricity consumption per home of 4,700kWh, which is derived from a total UK domestic electricity consumption of terawatt-hours (TWh) (The Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2005) and 25.2 million households (mid-year Household Estimates published in 2004 by the Office for National Statistics). Produced from Ordnance Survey digital map data Crown copyright All rights reserved. License number

3 COMMUNITY BENEFITS The Benefit To The Community RWE npower renewables is committed to continued investment in your area a voluntary, flexible contribution will be made towards large and small community projects identified by the community itself this community investment will provide a valuable, long term, sustainable and reliable source of income for the local community investment may include support for capital and revenue activities in 2010 we invested 645,000 into communities across the UK. Examples of Community Benefits Farr Wind Farm: The fund provided a one off lump sum of 1 million and an annual sum of over 100,000. The Farr Wind Farm Community Fund is administered by Strathnairn Community Benefit Fund Ltd and Strathdearn Community Charitable Trust. Both these organisations were set up by members of the local community to ensure decisions about how the fund is allocated are made by local representatives for the benefit of their own community. This fund is being administered under various categories. Causeymire Wind Farm: The fund provided a one off lump sum of 300,000 and an annual sum of 55,000 for the life of the project. The Causeymire Wind Farm Community Fund is administered by The Halkirk District Benefit Fund who also make the decisions on how the money is spent. The fund is being used to assist community projects in the local area including Altnabreac, Banniskirk, Calder, Georgemas, Harpsdale, Spittal, Mybster and Westerdale. Amongst those who have benefited are: Halkirk Community Sports Foundation Caithness Indoor Riding Association Halkirk Highland Games Association Girl Guides Association Halkirk Primary School Parents Council funds have also been used for activities as diverse as summer excursions for playgroups, school children attending a science festival and replacing a bridge carving. Farr Changing Hall under construction The completed Farr Changing Hall

4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT The studies and surveys undertaken The Surveys The Bad á Cheò Wind Farm scheme is at the design stage and is currently undergoing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This is a series of studies aimed at informing the design of, and assessing the environmental effects of, the wind farm. The EIA process includes consultation with stakeholders. Detailed surveys and studies are being undertaken to assess the impact on: landscape and the visual impact ecology ornithology geology, hydrogeology and hydrology archaeology and cultural heritage access, traffic and transport telecommunications and aviation noise socio-economic infrastructure. Landscape and Visual the proposed site is located within an area of search for wind energy developments, designated by the Highland Council the site is adjacent to the existing Causeymire Wind Farm consideration is being given to the cumulative impacts given the proximity of the site to Causeymire Wind Farm and Scottish Power s proposed Halsary Wind Farm which is currently in planning consideration has been given to the tip height of the turbines to lessen the visual impact and fit with neighbouring wind farms. View of the adjacent Causeymire Wind Farm landscape

5 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT The studies and surveys undertaken (continued) Ecology The proposed development site itself is not designated but the site lies adjacent to two conservation sites of international importance: the Caithness & Sutherland Peatlands SAC/SPA/ Ramsar 1 notified for active blanket bog, multiple breeding bird interests and otter the River Thurso SAC, notified for Atlantic salmon. Specific protected species surveys have been undertaken. These indicate that water vole and red squirrel may be present within the wind farm boundary with otter recorded just outside. Surveys for bats are ongoing. The location of sensitive species and their habitats is being used to inform the design of the wind farm. Habitat and ecological surveys being undertaken indicate that with careful design and construction, development can be accommodated across most of the site area. The surveys have identified some more sensitive peatland habitats which will be avoided. Further ecological impact assessment will be carried out once the final design and layout of the wind farm has been decided. The scheme will also include proposals to restore peatland habitats on areas previously subject to peat extraction and forestry. Ornithology Ornithological studies of the site have been ongoing since March 2010 and regular consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has been undertaken. Survey results to date indicate that a wind farm at Bad á Cheò would not have significant impacts on the bird populations. While the breeding bird community in the surrounding area includes wader species, such as snipe, curlew, golden plover, oystercatcher, lapwing, redshank and greenshank, relatively few have been recorded within the site itself. To date no specially protected raptor species or divers have been confirmed breeding within 2km of the site. A low number of bird species are present at the site during winter. These include hen harrier and greylag geese. The wind turbines have been sited to avoid impacts on any of the bird population. Footnotes: 1 SAC: Special Area of Conservation SPA: Special Protection Area Ramsar: The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Water vole Red squirrel

6 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT The studies and surveys undertaken (continued) Geology, Hydrogeology and Hydrology The site is located within the River Thurso catchment. The Little River and River Thurso are designated as Salmonid waters 1 and therefore any wind farm infrastructure and construction activity will be excluded from within a 50m buffer zone of these water courses. Historically, much of the site has been developed for commercial peat extraction and part of the site is still being worked. The northern part of the site is currently forested. Both of these activities have had an impact over the years on the hydrology of the site. The south-western part of the site comprises a number of established bog pool systems and therefore this area will now not form part of the wind farm. The hydrology and geological assessments currently being undertaken consider potential impacts associated with all aspects of the wind farm construction and operation, including site drainage, water and soil quality. In addition RWE npower renewables will actively take steps to, for example, maintain the integrity of excavated soil, monitor levels of silt to prevent sediment entering the River Thurso, and restore peatland habitats on areas previously subject to peat extraction. It is unlikely that stone will be quarried on site for construction and therefore stone will be imported from local quarries to build the wind farm. Footnotes: 1 Under the Surface Waters (Fishlife) (Classification) (Scotland) Regulations 1997 as amended (SEPA, 2007) Crown copyright, All right reserved Licence number

7 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT The studies and surveys undertaken (continued) Noise The noise levels from wind farms and noise assessments for proposed wind farms are required to comply with strict guidelines on noise (ETSU-R-97) 1. Bad á Cheò is located adjacent to Causeymire Wind Farm and to the proposed Halsary Wind Farm therefore the cumulative impact of noise levels will be considered through the EIA process. Noise monitoring was undertaken prior to constructing Causeymire Wind Farm and these background noise levels are being used to inform the layout to ensure Bad á Cheò will operate within acceptable limits. Access, Traffic and Transport It is likely that turbine parts will be delivered by sea to Wick Harbour and transported to the site via the A99, travelling south and then north on the A9 to the site. The access for all wind farm construction traffic, including turbine components, will be directly from the A9. A full traffic and transport assessment of the impact of vehicle movements during construction is being undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The cumulative impact of construction traffic along with that from other schemes will also be considered in the EIA. The A9 is a trunk road and as such, Transport Scotland is being consulted about the proposals. Footnotes: 1 ETSU-R-97: Energy Technological Support Unit Regulations 1997 Turbine deliveries to the Farr Wind Farm site

8 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT The studies and surveys undertaken (continued) Socio-economic impacts Local Business and Employment The principal wind farm construction contracts will include all civil works, electrical works and turbine supply. RWE npower renewables will follow a competitive tender process for all contracts. We would normally expect to let the main contracts directly, and expect principal contractors to choose appropriate subcontractors. We cannot make any promises on tendering. However, local suppliers and contractors with appropriate skills are generally well placed to win some of the contracts. It is estimated that around four FTE 1 jobs will be created during the operational phase. Tourism RWE npower renewables recognises tourism is one of the key industries in Caithness with most visitor attractions linked to the cultural heritage and the landscape of the area and its archaeology due to the influences of Viking and Gael. The relative remoteness also attracts significant numbers of tourists as well as those passing through using the A99 to visit Wick and the A9 to visit Thurso and John O Groats or catch ferries from ports at Scrabster, Wick and Gills Bay. Research undertaken on behalf of the Scottish Government (The Economic Impacts Of Wind Farms on Scottish Tourism, 2008) indicates that wind farms do not have an adverse effect on the tourism industry. This finding supports earlier surveys conducted on visitors. Visit Scotland (2002) surveyed 180 visitors in order to gauge their opinion on wind energy developments, identified scenery as one of the key reasons for their visit yet 71% felt that wind farms and turbines had no effect on their pleasure and even enhanced their visit. Footnotes: 1 FTE Full time equivalent Causeymire Wind Farm, Caithness (100m height to tip)

9 CONSTRUCTION PHASE The main construction period is expected to last up to 18 months. This will include felling, the construction of all access tracks within the wind farm, the laying of underground cables, the construction of the substation and control building, and the installation and commissioning of the turbines. For much of the construction period the activity will take place within the boundary of the site itself. A specific construction method statement (CMS) will be drawn up in consultation with the Highland Council, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) when the main contractor has been appointed and prior to the start of construction. Any mitigation requirements identified in the EIA will be adhered to and best practice construction techniques will be used. Construction works will be carried out in accordance with all relevant statutory guidelines. During the construction period, public access to the site will be restricted to ensure the health and safety of the site personnel and general public. After the wind farm is operational there will be no restriction on public access to the wind farm or use of the new access tracks for walking or cycling. Turbine Deliveries to An Suidhe Wind Farm Turbine construction at An Suidhe Wind Farm

10 CONSULTATION Consulted Bodies The scoping report was submitted to The Highland Council in March As part of the scoping process RWE npower renewables consulted with and received responses from, among others the following stakeholders: The Scottish Government The Highland Council Scottish Natural Heritage The Scottish Environment Protection Agency Historic Scotland Community Councils. Now It s Your Turn Community involvement and consultation is an important element of the project development process. RWE npower renewables is committed to involving the local community, throughout this process. The development process is an ongoing one, in which the design and layout of the wind farm is informed by your views as well as the environmental and technical studies to ensure potential impacts are avoided or minimised. The consultation process started in January 2011 when Halkirk, Watten and Latheron, Lybster & Clyth Community Councils were informed of the proposed development. The purpose of these communications has been to keep the community informed of our proposals. A newsletter was issued in August to raise local awareness of the scheme, provide information and provide an opportunity for individuals to register comments. Consultation is ongoing and RWE npower renewables continues to seek your views. It is hoped you will take advantage of this exhibition to talk to us, let your views be known and have your questions answered. Alternatively you can contact us: by writing to RWE npower renewables, North Lodge, Stanley Mills, Perth PH1 4QE via the comments box via at badacheo@rwe.com Your comments are important. Before leaving this exhibition, please take the time to fill out our questionnaire and offer additional comments. The information you provide will be helpful to us, both in assessing the acceptability of the Bad á Cheò Wind Farm proposal illustrated at this exhibition, and judging how useful this exhibition has been to the local community. Thank you for attending today.