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Greystone Knowe Wind Farm
Scottish Borders

Our proposal

At a glance

Type:
Wind Farm

Status:
Planning submitted

Partner:
ESB

Greystone Knowe Wind Farm would deliver significant biodiversity enhancements which would improve habitats for birds, mammals and fish species and would increase the range and stability of butterflies in the context of the Butterfly Conservation project.

14

Turbines

The wind farm would comprise a maximum of 14 turbines. The turbines are expected to have a maximum tip height of up to 180 m and a capacity of approximately 5 MW, giving a maximum capacity of approximately 75 MW

75

Megawatts

Generating capacity is expected to be between 60 and 75 Megawatts (depending on the eventual model of turbine used)

52,000

Homes powered

The output from the wind farm would be enough to meet the electricity needs of 52,092 average UK households

Based on an installed capacity of 75MW, an assumed load factor of 27.5%, and DESNZ Subnational Electricity and Gas Consumption Statistics showing that annual GB average domestic household consumption is 3,239kWh (updated January 2024).

£375k/yr

Community benefit

Based on a capacity of 75 MW we would pay £375k/yr (index linked) into a fund to directly benefit local communities. This fund would be independently (and we would hope locally) managed and may also be used to support other initiatives (for example to enable the community to acquire a share of the wind farm if they wish).

Why Greystone Knowe?

The project is located on rough grazing land with small blocks of plantation forestry and lies approximately 2km south of Heriot and 2.5km west of Fountainhall. The site is situated within an ‘Area with Potential for Wind Energy Development’ (as mapped out by Scottish Borders Council) and benefits from good wind speeds, good access links and close proximity to the grid.

What is proposed?

We are proposing a wind farm comprising of up to 14 turbines. Each turbine would have a tower height of approximately 105m and a tip height of 180m. New tracks constructed of locally sourced crushed stone will connect the wind turbines and the main access will be taken from Old Stage Road in Fountainhall. A battery energy storage facility would also be included as part of the onsite electricity substation.

Proposed location

Updates

Find out what's happening

Event

Public Inquiry

14 January 2025

A Public Inquiry for the project is due to be held from 28th – 30th January. Details of this can be found on the DPEA website under the case reference WIN-140-9.

News

Submission of further Additional Information to DPEA

24 October 2024

Additional Information has been submitted to the Department of Planning and Environmental Appeals has been submitted in response to a request by the appointed Reporter. This comprises (i) an outline habitat management plan and (ii) an updated cumulative landscape and visual impact assessment. This material is now available to view in the downloads section,

News

Council objection to planning application

30 March 2024

Scottish Borders Council voted on 25th March 2024 to object to the planning application based on (i) impacts on residential amenity and (ii) landscape and visual effects.

News

Submission of further Additional Information to ECU

22 June 2023

Further Additional Information was submitted in response to a request by the Energy Consents Unit. This comprised an addendum to the Planning Statement to provide an updated description of the planning policy context for the project. This is now available in the downloads section.

News

Submission of Additional Information to ECU

29 July 2022

Additional information was submitted to the Energy Consents Unit in response to a holding objection from SEPA and requests from other consultees. The report also commits to additional mitigation measures for a range of ecological, ornithological and hydrological issues. This material is available in the downloads section.

News

Planning application submitted

25 October 2021

An application for S36 and planning consent was submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit on 25th October 2021. The Environmental Impact Assessment and supporting documents are available to view in the downloads section. Information on the planning application is now also available on the Energy Consents Unit online portal under the reference ECU00003341.

Event

Virtual Public Consultation

7 October 2020

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions it will unfortunately not be possible to hold in-person public events. In place of this a virtual public exhibition has been made available online at [INSERT DETAILS] and live chat sessions will be held with the development team [HOW?] on the following dates:
- 11am – 1pm Wednesday 21st October 2020
- 5pm – 7pm Wednesday 21st October 2020
- 11am – 1pm Friday 6th November 2020

Consultation materials are available to view in the downloads section.

News

Request for Scoping Opinion Submitted to the Scottish Government

15 May 2020

A request for a scoping opinion has been submitted to the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) to help define the scope of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the project. The Scoping Report is available in the downloads section.

The proposal

In pictures

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Environmental benefits

What we will deliver

0

Tonnes of CO2 offset/year

The wind farm would offset 73,733 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year. That’s equivalent to removing 49,135 cars from the road.

Based on: (i) DESNZ’s “all non-renewable fuels” emissions statistic of 437 tonnes of carbon dioxide per GWh of electricity supplied in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (July 2024) Table 5.14 ("Estimated carbon dioxide emissions from electricity supplied”) (ii) DfT’s NTS0901 statistic (August 2024) of an average diesel car covering 8,300 miles per year and manufacturer’s published emissions data for a VW Golf 2.0 TDi of 115g/km

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Clean electricity

The wind farm would generate around 168 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year. That’s enough to charge around 7,900 electric cars a day.

Based on a 75MW assumed capacity, forecast average load factor of 27.5% and an electric car battery capacity of 58kwh (as found in a Tesla Model 3 or VW ID3)

drivers view along country road