3R Energy, a Scottish wind and biomass developer, has been granted planning permission for an integrated 45MW renewable energy project on a former opencast coal site in South Lanarkshire – which will create up to 15 new jobs.
The development, near Lanark town, comprises 15 wind turbines with a maximum height to blade tip of 126.5m (around 3MW each in power rating) and a wood fuel drying facility, which will use some of the electricity produced on site by the wind turbines to dry locally sourced wood chip for use in biomass and CHP systems.
The site is part of a former opencast coal mine and is therefore by its nature well located, remote from surrounding villages and benefits from direct access from the M74 motorway.
The operators plan to make community benefit contributions of £5,000 / MW of installed capacity, -which means that the project would generate a £5.6 million Community Benefit Contribution (based on a total installed capacity of 45 MW) to local communities over its lifetime.
A spokesman for 3R Energy said: “The planning application for the Douglas West & Dalquhandy DP Renewable Energy Project was approved by South Lanarkshire Council in four months – which is a great achievement for everyone involved.
“3R Energy will now work with National Grid and Scottish Power to finalise grid connection arrangements and seek to bring the development into production as soon as possible”.
Pixie Energy is an incubator and a facilitator of strategic research and project work, focusing on energy regulation, policy and markets at the local and national level. Find out more about Pixie Energy