Archaeological and cultural heritage assets on and close to the site will be visited to establish what effect (if any) the windfarm will have on them, or their setting.
Our proposals
Welcome to our public exhibition
Thank you for visiting our exhibition for the proposed Swinlees wind farm.
The Farm Energy Company is committed to giving local people the opportunity to feed back their views and suggestions directly to our project team, at every stage of the development process.
Today’s exhibition provides an early opportunity for you to hear about our initial proposals for the wind farm and for us to listen to your views and take those into account as we continue to develop the project.
Following this first public exhibition, we will review the feedback received and in conjunction with ongoing discussions with key stakeholders and consultees, plan to hold our second event in July 2024.
The Farm Energy Company
The Farm Energy Company is a UK based independent power producer founded in 2011 that specialises in large-scale private wire and off-site projects for significant energy users.
The company enables its clients to source renewable energy from a range of technologies (including wind, solar, biogas and battery power) combining both private wire and grid-based solutions.
What sets us apart from a number of other renewable energy companies is that our primary aim is to work with existing businesses with large power requirements to provide direct power via either a wind or solar farm.
These businesses are often at the heart of communities with many employees coming from the local area. It is therefore important that we engage with local communities to hear their views on our projects and address any concerns they may have at an early stage.
In June 2021 the UK Government set in law the world’s most ambitious climate change target of cutting emissions by 78% compared to 1990s levels. We are dedicated to supporting the transition to a more sustainable energy market. To help achieve this target we are working closely with a wide range of existing businesses to provide low cost, green, renewable energy. By providing increased energy security our business partners can deliver increased job security.
In achieving this, our goal is to ensure that the right technology is located in the right location and any opportunities to enhance the environment are maximised.
DSM-Firmenich
DSM-Firmenich is a global supplier of nutritional products for the food, supplement, and medical industries.
Having operated in Dalry for over 20 years, the company has had a significant impact in the local economy, employing over 400 staff and around 150 to 200 contractors.
Since 1958, DSM-Firmenich has been producing vitamins to serve the highly varied needs of the human and animal nutrition and health sectors, as well as the pharmaceutical and personal care industries.
The site is also at the forefront of ambitions to tackle carbon emissions in agriculture recently commencing construction of a new plant to produce Bovaer, an innovative cattle feed additive which reduces methane emissions in dairy production.
Potential beneifits of Swinlees Wind Farm
- Assisting with DSM-Firmenich’s targets of souring global electricity usage from renewables.
- Stabilised and reduced energy costs over the lifetime of the project.
- Increased energy security and reduced reliance on fossil fuels – around x% of the DSM site’s electricity demand will be supplied by the wind scheme.
- The proposals would generate around x MW of low carbon, renewable energy to offset electricity imported from the grid.
- Support national and local renewable energy targets.
- Reduced carbon footprint – approximately x tonnes of CO2 per annum.
The project offers a low cost, renewable energy solution which provides economic benefits to towns such as Dalry, such as:
- Investment in property via mortgage and rent;
- Revenue collected through local authority systems (e.g. Council Tax);
- Shopping benefits with locally earned salaries being spent in local shops and services;
- Reducing the need to travel with the sustainability benefits.
Community benefit
TBC – to be discussed with TFEC.
Environmental, technical and policy considerations
- The project team is committed to minimising potential environmental impacts of the Proposal.
- An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be completed which provides a detailed assessment of the potential impacts of the wind farm.
- The EIA includes assessment of the following topics:
- Landscape and Visual Impact;
- Cultural Heritage;
- Ecology and Ornithology;
- Planning Policy.
NPF4
In February 2023, the Scottish Government adopted a new planning framework – National Planning Framework 4.
The NPF4 underwent significant consultation over the past few years and reflects the aspirations of the Scottish renewables industry to enable the development of suitably located wind farms and solar farms.
NPF4 is supportive of schemes like this, as it gives greater weight to directly addressing climate change and building on brownfield sites.
Landscape and visual impact assessment
The LVIA identified that x.
{TECHNICAL INPUT REQUIRED}
Environmental assessment summary
As part of the development process, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is currently being undertaken. The EIA will consider the potential impacts of the wind farm on a wide range of aspects of the environment and will help inform project design.
The potential impacts, which will be examined as part of the EIA for Swinlees Wind Farm, include:
Archaeological and Cultural Heritage;
Ecology and Ornithology;
Surveys are ongoing and will be undertaken to establish the bird and animal species which use the habitats on or around the site. Further to this, the potential impact of the windfarm on these species will be thoroughly assessed, and tailored habitat management strategies will be implemented as necessary to support and improve their environmental conditions.
Traffic and Transport;
Consultations will conduct a traffic survey to assess the impact of windfarm construction traffic on the local road network. They will propose strategies to minimise disruptions for residents, especially during peak hours.
Noise;
Strict guidelines exist concerning noise emissions from wind turbines and the final design of the wind farm will take full account of these guidelines. The potential noise effects include construction traffic noise, construction plant on the wind farm site, as well as noise from the wind turbines once these are operational.
Site projections
Add existing / proposed photograph montages.
Case study: GSK
The Farm Energy Company have a number of active investments in North Ayrshire and are committed to delivering investment in the local authority area and supporting the long-term operation of businesses in the region while aligning with local and national climate goals.
Installation of two 4MW wind turbines and 20MW of solar at a manufacturing site for GSK.
- Project has begun construction.
- All renewables financed, owned, managed, and maintained by The Farm Energy Company.
- 20-year power purchase agreement.
- Approximately 75% of the power is used on site at Tier 1 pricing.
- The remaining 25% is ‘sleeved’ via the grid to other parts of the business at Tier 2 prices.
- Fixed price power with CPI indexation.
- Investment grade credit rating maintained throughout the term (via asset test).
- Grid access to be used in extremis.
- Savings of ~25% from renewables vs grid supply.
Next steps
Thank you for visiting our public exhibition.
We are currently gathering information regarding the proposed wind farm, and are engaging in discussions with community councils, local residents and local businesses, and these conversations will help inform and shape the design of the project.
We will carefully review all of the feedback received before finalising and submitting a planning application to North Ayrshire Council.
We would appreciate all feedback to be received by 2nd June 2024, click here give your feedback.
If you have any further questions regarding any aspect of the proposals, please contact us via the details below:
Address: The Farm Energy Company, c/o Cavendish, 1 West Regent Street, Glasgow, G2 1WR
Telephone: 0141 264 2831