Approved wind farm by Grantown to generate around £500,000 per year for local communities
The operators of a wind farm approved earlier this week on the Dava Moor have said the community benefit fund is expected to generation around £500,000 per year for local groups.
Reaction has been muted after the latest wind farm on the doorstep of the Cairngorms National Park got the go-ahead from Scottish Ministers.
Swedish-state owned company Vattenfall has received approval for 17 turbines 180 metres high at Ourack some 10 kilometres north of Grantown.
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The project will also include a substation, 16.7 kilometres of access tracks, three borrow pits, cabling, and off-site road improvements between Castle Grant and Dava Bridge.
There will be a spin-off for the local area with a community benefit fund expected to generate some £500,000 per annum and likely to be index-linked over the lifetime of the renewable energy project.
A company spokesman said this was an approximation and the details for the criteria of the fund and the geographical area were still to be finalised.
The only other similair community fund generating cash for local communities in the strath is at Berry Burn with Grantown and Cromdale amongst the beneficiaries.
The 100MW wind farm is expected to meet the equivalent demand of approximately 64,000 UK households annually.
The company pointed out the approval follows ‘supportive decisions’ from Cairngorm National Park Authority and the Highland Council planning committees in March 2023 and April 2024 respectively.
Alison Daugherty, Vattenfall’s project manager for Ourack, said: “The decision to grant consent follows a lengthy development process during which we have worked to incorporate feedback from the local community and stakeholders.
“We will now work with stakeholders, including residents and local businesses, to ensure that the proposal is constructed as sensitively as possible while offering opportunities to Highland businesses.”
Cairngorms Business Partnership CEO Craig Mills welcome the consent: “Ourack Wind Farm marks an important milestone in Scotland’s journey towards a sustainable energy future.
“This project exemplifies the power of collaboration between developers, statutory consultees and authorities, ensuring that the needs of people and the environment are carefully balanced.
“We are particularly encouraged by Vattenfall’s commitment to working with Highland businesses to deliver this project with sensitivity to our unique environment while creating tangible opportunities for local growth.
“This is a chance to demonstrate how sustainable development can drive economic resilience and innovation in the Highlands, and we look forward to seeing the positive impacts unfold."
Construction is expected to start in 2028.
The company employs 19,000 people and has 14 million customers, mainly in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and the UK.
Highland councillors unanimously agreed not to raise an objection to a wind farm planned on the Dava Moor despite 40 objections.
The plans were cut from 18 turbines and also include a battery energy storage system and a control building on the 762 hectare site.
