Our application to develop a wind farm near Carsphairn in Dumfries and Galloway has been considered today (5 August 2020) by one of the key Statutory Consultees to the project, Dumfries and Galloway Council. The proposal, submitted to the Scottish Government under Section 36 of the Electricity Act in December 2018 consists of up to 17 turbines with an installed capacity in excess of 50 megawatts (MW) and is located to the east of Carsphairn within a commercial forestry plantation.
A full Environmental Impact Assessment was undertaken and an EIA Report and additional information accompanies the application. The proposal was amended in December 2019 and Historic Environment Scotland withdrew their original objection. Following an assessment by the Council’s Landscape Officer however, Planning Committee Councillors voted not to support the scheme.
Infinergy started work on the proposal in 2013, although uncertainties around the funding of onshore wind in the UK resulted in the project being put on hold in 2015. By 2017 however, the further development of turbine technology and the publication of the new Energy Strategy and Onshore Wind Policy Statement by the Scottish Government provided a greater degree of confidence.
The Shepherds’ Rig project is being progressed jointly by Infinergy, a UK renewable energy developer and Boralex, a Canadian independent power provider with a large portfolio of operational wind farms and hydro schemes.
Project Manager, Richard Frost said: “Shepherds’ Rig is a well sited and designed project which will contribute to Scotland’s efforts to abate climate change, and also provide an opportunity for the local community and businesses to benefit further from onshore wind development. We will now consider how to progress the project.”
Application documents are available in the downloads section of this website.