Hot on the heels of the Spittal-Beauly pylon proposals is news regarding the Abhainn Dubh wind farm up on the heights that will eventually plug into that very same power grid I should imagine. It’s now been submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU) for consideration.
Full details of the application can be found at www.energyconsents.scot under application reference ECU00004732 or on their Project Website; Abhainn Dubh (abhainndubhinfo.co.uk)
In terms of next steps, the project will be reviewed by the consultees and interested parties and responses collated. These will then help inform whether or not the Highland Council chooses to support the project. As part of this process additional information may be requested which they will seek to work through with the consultees to address and provide clarification if required. Once they have gone through this process and the statutory consultees have provided their recommendations, The Energy Consents Unit will consider the application and all responses received.
Should you wish to make a formal response to the application, this is your opportunity to do so at Scottish Government – ECDU (energyconsents.scot). Consultation is anticipated to close on the 13th July. However usually representations are accepted after this date, at the discretion of the ECU.
They are also continuing to take feedback through their website, and in particular invite you to comment with regards to any local projects, groups or indeed community concerns that they could consider supporting/addressing as part of the community benefit should they successfully secure planning permission. Please note any feedback through their website is not reviewed by the ECU. They will be continuing to engage with the community, community councils and consultees as the project goes through the planning process.
It is anticipated that a decision will likely be made in approximately 12-18 months. Their website will be kept up to date to follow the project as it progresses.
