Dunbeath

Community

In line with similar projects in the Scottish Highlands, Falck have offered a community benefit package in two parts: a Revenue Benefit and a Performance Payment. The size of the package will depend on the size of the wind farm. The current proposal is for a 22 turbine layout based on 3 MW turbines.

The Revenue Benefit will comprise an annual payment of £1,000 per installed MW per year for the life of the wind farm.

The Performance Payment comprises a payment based on the annual output of the wind farm, which will vary from year to year, but which is forecast to average £1,000 per MW annually over the project life.

A local cooperative is intended to be set up, with the support of Energy4All, to allow local people the opportunity to purchase a stake in the wind farm. Local people will be able to join the co-op, buying shares worth between £250 and £20,000. Profits from the sale of green electricity produced by the wind farm will then be distributed to members through an annual dividend.

Falck is also keen to create further community benefit enhancement by the ‘gifting ‘of two of the turbines within the existing layout.

Falck anticipates that these two turbines would provide an additional benefit to the community of £100,000 to £120,000 per year averaged over the life of the project.

A similar model has been developed by Falck with the community at Fintry which is immediately adjacent to the Earlsburn site, near Stirling. The principle here is that Falck will finance, construct, own and operate the two “community turbines” for the benefit of the community. Falck will make annual payments to the community calculated by taking revenues generated from the two “community turbines” less the proportionate share of operating costs and financing costs.