Windfarm poised for a new lease of life
A Scottish Borders windfarm first commissioned more than quarter of century ago is poised for a new lease of life.
Plans have been announced for the future repowering of Dun Law Wind Farm near the village of Oxton in Berwickshire.
Belltown Repower, the specialist repowering development arm of Belltown Power UK, has been selected as the preferred party to take forward the repowering and an initial Proposal of Application Notices (PAN) was submitted to SBC, ahead of a formal planning bid.
The existing wind farm consists of 26 turbines and was commissioned in 2000. It will reach the end of its operational life in approximately 2030.
Many of the UK’s earliest wind farms are approaching the end of their operational life and are less efficient compared to modern technologies. Repowering upgrades the existing infrastructure with new turbines.
This means bigger but fewer, more powerful turbines and ensures that proven sources of clean electricity remain part of the UKs energy mix, supporting both energy security and the transition to a low-carbon future.
The proposed repowering will see the existing turbines replaced with fewer, new turbines after 2030, following the decommissioning of the existing wind farm.
The Belltown Power team will soon meet with local stakeholders to introduce the project and the development manager, Antoine Vandenborre.
The team will provide an overview of the proposals, explain the anticipated project timeline and answer questions.
Antoine said: “We are at the very early stages of considering the future of Dun Law Wind Farm and we want to make sure local people are involved from the very start.
“We look forward to introducing ourselves, sharing our initial thinking and, importantly, listening to the views and ideas of the local community as the project develops.
“Repowering existing wind farms such as Dun Law ensures that this proven, home-grown, clean power remains in our energy mix, supporting energy security and the transition to our low-carbon future.”
A series of public exhibitions will be held, starting at Pathhead Village Hall on Thursday, November 26 and on Friday, November 27 at Oxton War Memorial Hall, both from 1pm to 6:30pm.