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Beinn Tharsuinn Wind Farm - A Year On |
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Twelve months have now past since the opening of ScottishPower Renewables’ Beinn Tharsuinn wind farm. Producing 29.75 megawatts from the 17 Vestas V66 1.75 MW turbines, Beinn Tharsuinn generates clean green electricity equivalent to the needs of over of 16,000 households. The site is supported by a team of locally based technicians, engineers and contractors who carry out the day-to-day operational and maintenance requirements and is operationally managed from ScottishPower Renewables’ Central Windfarm Control Point at Blacklaw Windfarm.
The windfarm contributes approximately £60,000 a year for community benefit, supporting local projects and initiatives.
Habitat restoration and management at Scottish Power Renewables’ sites
include some of the most ambitious schemes in the UK to create and
manage land for key conservation species. In line with this policy, a
plan has been drawn up to manage and improve an area of land at Beinn
Tharsuinn. Work has already started with the erection of a fence to
exclude stock from the lower moor area. Bracken has been treated and a
fence will be erected in preparation for a tree-planting programme to
take place late autumn and early spring 2007/08. Natural species such
as Birch, Alder and Rowan will be planted. Bird life activity
continues to thrive with Golden Plover, Meadow Pipit, and Red Grouse
all, successfully, rearing young. There is also an active population
of birds of prey including Harrier, Kestrel, Merlin and Golden Eagle.
The resident population of Red Deer are regular visitors to the site
and use the roads to travel between feeding areas.
Despite the very wet summer the heather blossom was in profusion. This
provided local beekeepers an excellent opportunity to collect honey,
with in excess of a dozen hives being sited close to the access track.
Visitors are always welcome at Beinn Tharsuinn. A pedestrian access
gate has been erected and is being regularly used. More formal visits
have also been made and can be arranged by getting in contact with the
Blacklaw Control Point on 01698 392144.
ScottishPower Renewables wins the sustainable development award for its
"collaborative and responsible approach" towards wind farm development.
ScottishPower Renewables
ScottishPower Renewables is the United Kingdom’s leading onshore
windfarm developer and has over 362 MW of operational windfarms, with
another 446 MW having received planning consent, of which 352 MW is
already in construction. We also have over 800 MW in planning and
approximately 1000 MW in development.
We have a strong track record of responsible and sustainable windfarm
development, recognised by the numerous awards we have received. The
culmination of this was being granted the Queen’s Award for Enterprise:
Sustainable Development in 2006.
In April this year, Scottish Power Renewables became part of the
Spanish based Iberdrola group and is now a member of one of the largest
electricity organisations in Europe, with a presence in more than 30
countries and 22 million points of supply. The new group is the world’s
number one renewable energy operator with 7,000 MW of installed
capacity and a pipeline of more than 40,000 MW.
You can also find out more about our approach to renewable energy
development and how we manage our fleet of established windfarms across
the UK and Ireland. Go to www.scottishpower.com Click on the relevant
links to find out more.
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