Millennium Extension

Summary

Current status : Expected to be completed by September 2008
Location : 50 km southwest of Inverness
Number of turbines : 4
Expected capacity : 10 MW
Planning authority : The Highland Council
Project manager : Simon Green, West Coast Energy

An application was submitted March 2007 by Millennium Wind Energy Ltd., a subsidiary of Falck Renewables Ltd, to The Highland Council for consent of a four turbine extension to the Millennium Wind Farm on elevated land to the west of Fort Augustus and north of Loch Garry in the Highlands of Scotland. West Coast Energy has been responsible for the planning and design of the Millennium Wind Farm Extension and for the preparation of the ES. West Coast Energy Limited is a company specializing in renewable energy development, which is based in Edinburgh and North Wales.

The proposed wind farm extension is located approximately 8 km to the west of Fort Augustus on the southern flanks of a small range of hills separating Glen Garry and Glenmoriston and immediately adjacent to the 16 consented turbines which comprise Millennium Wind Farm. The original application for the Millennium Wind Farm included 21 turbines. Changes to the design during the planning process reduced the layout to 20 turbines. When the application was considered at the planning committee in April 2005, four further turbines were dropped due to perceived sensitivities of views from Fort Augustus and Dalchreichart. This application has essentially considered a relocation of these four turbines with no visibility from those locations considered to be sensitive receptors.

The extension to the permitted Millennium Wind Farm will comprise 4 Nordex wind turbines of modern design, each having a three bladed rotor of 90 m in diameter supported on a tapered cylindrical tower to give a height of 70 m to the rotor hub and maximum 115 m to the blade tip. Each wind turbine has a maximum power output of approximately 2.5 MW. A 132 kV grid network and sub station exists in close proximity of the site. Detailed environmental assessment studies have not identified any overriding constraints which cannot be dealt with by appropriate mitigation.