Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2021 on the new Greengairs East wind farm, after revised planning permission was granted which will increase the generation capacity of the development.
Local businesses are to be invited to bid for work during the construction phase, while nearby community groups will be in line to benefit from a £200,000 community investment fund for each of the 25 years of the site’s operational period and will also be offered the option of a proportion of shared ownership.
The eight turbines first proposed for the site north of Easterton on Airdrie Road were originally to be 125 metres high, but North Lanarkshire councillors have now agreed that they can be increased to nearly 150 metres each.
Site developers Muirhall Energy submitted the revised application “in line with present generation technology” and to increase capacity to 4.8 megawatts per turbine.
They say the new wind farm will generate sufficient electricity to achieve “the equivalent of powering 32,835 homes and offsetting 55,099 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year”.
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Managing director Chris Walker said: “We pride ourselves on our community-focused approach and look forward to building on the positive relationships we’ve already established, and developing stronger ties with the community as we move towards construction.”
With work due to begin early in 2021, Muirhall Energy plan to hold events by the end of this year for local firms to learn more about the project and to what essential services they might be able to provide.
Construction project manager Keith McDougall added: “This is an exciting time and we look forward to meeting local businesses who can support us during the construction process.
“We’re making a significant contribution to Scottish and UK government climate change targets, and providing communities with funds to invest in the challenges and opportunities that matter to them.”
Members of North Lanarkshire’s planning committee agreed that the height increase would be “an acceptable departure” from the original plan agreed last year, with a report for councillors noting: “The changes to the layout and turbine dimensions of the consented windfarm will result in no material changes in landscape and visual terms.”
