Welcome to our website for the Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub.
At Belltown Power we are committed to working with local communities and stakeholders to responsibly develop renewable energy projects that help to deliver our Scottish climate change targets and ensure a green and sustainable future for generations to come.
The Climate Crisis
We are facing an unprecedented global climate crisis caused by the use of fossil fuels to power our societies. In the past 50 years weather induced disasters have increased five-fold. [1]
Necessary Actions
CO2 ppm have risen by 28% in the past 50 years.[2] We need to urgently cut greenhouse gas emissions to prevent irreversible temperature rises and nature loss. As electrification of transport and heating continues our demand for electricity will rise. It is vital we meet this increase, and existing demand, from renewable sources.
Project Contribution
Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub has the potential to make a sizeable contribution to the decarbonisation of our electricity system and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Stats: The project could produce enough energy to power 161,064 households and save 265,614 tonnes of CO2 every year [3]. This project is an opportunity for your community to contribute to tackling climate change in a significant way through hosting and part-owning a modern wind energy hub.
“We must go into emergency mode against the climate crisis. We need an avalanche of action.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
"If we don't act now, it'll be too late. Every day that goes by in which we don't do something about it is a day wasted."
Sir David Attenborough
- WMO, Weather-related disasters
- Statista, Historic average carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, Ian Tiseo
- Assumes 33 x 6.6MW - RenewableUK, Statistics explained
Project Proposal
The site is located on the western side of Lussa Forest with Lussa Loch to the east, approximately 10 km northwest of Campbeltown on the Kintyre Peninsula.
Belltown Power’s Project Team are working closely with relevant specialists to carry out extensive site surveys and site assessments. This survey data will help refine the proposal which we will then consult on throughout 2023 as part of the Scoping process, with an anticipated planning application in 2024. The current layout comprises 33 turbines with a tip height up to 230m. These, together with an energy storage facility and habitat enhancements, collectively make up the Wind Energy Hub. The Scoping Report and all associated documents are available on the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit website and in the Project Documents section below.
What’s next...
We welcome all feedback so we can take your views on board as we continue to develop our proposal. There will be a further consultation event later this year where we will present our developed plans ahead of submitting our proposals to the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit for determination by Scottish Government Ministers.
- Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub Scoping Report (819.23 KB)
- Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub Scoping Figures 1.1 to 3.1 (3.13 MB)
- Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub Scoping Figures 5.1 to 5.3 (8.33 MB)
- Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub Scoping Figures 6.1 to 7.1 (6.40 MB)
- Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub Scoping Figures 9.1 to 9.2 (4.26 MB)
- Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub Scoping Layout Turbine Details (129.81 KB)
Timeline
22/23 Nov 22
First Consultation Events
Q3 23 - Q1 24
Preparation of Planning Submission
Q3 23
Second Consultation Events
Q1 24
Target Planning Submission
Q1 24 - Q3 25
Expected Planning Determination
Q3 25
Target Construction Start
H1 27
Target Commercial Operation Date
Community Ownership – groundbreaking offer
At Belltown Power we fundamentally believe that renewable energy projects should benefit the communities that host them. Communities local to the Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub will benefit through our groundbreaking community ownership scheme.
We want to go beyond simply offering the opportunity for local investment into our projects and actually take demonstrable steps to enable the uptake of community ownership in a way that benefits everyone. Belltown’s Community Ownership scheme includes:
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Giving local community organisations 1% of the equity in the project for free.
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Enabling them to buy a further 4% of the equity at cost once the project is operational and potentially more at market value, if desired.
Community Benefit
In addition to this attractive ownership offering, we are committed to providing £5,000/MW (index linked) Community Benefit for the lifetime of the project. Depending on a community's need this could be part or wholly front loaded to support larger projects.
These funds will be made available for communities to invest in initiatives most needed by the community. We want to hear your views on how Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub can best support your community.
Case Study
Near to our Tirgwynt site in Powys, Wales the Carno Primary School faced closure due to the condition of temporary buildings they were using. Due to our flexible community benefit offering we were able to substitute some of the annual payments with a larger, upfront payment which enabled the construction of a new school building allowing the local school to continue to serve the community for future generations.
Education - inspiring the next generation
We believe passionately in education and have been running the Belltown Education Programme since 2015 with the aim of inspiring the next generation of engineers, scientists and climate emergency tacklers.
Local Environment
Everyone at Belltown Power is involved in the renewable energy industry through a desire to tackle the climate crisis and nature emergency. In addition to powering over 161,064 homes (6% of Scotland's total**) and displacing over 265,614 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year over the life time of the project* we will implement a comprehensive and tailored Ecological Management Plan to ensure that the Cnoc Buidhe Wind Energy Hub delivers a net ecological benefit through careful habitat design, creation and management.
* Figures based on a wind energy hub comprising of 33 turbines at 6.6MW for 35 years and recognised assumptions stated here.
** https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/stats-at-a-glance/council-area-profiles
Get involved
At Belltown Power, we recognise a fundamental part of good project development is early consultation to ensure local communities and stakeholders are given the opportunity to provide feedback and are kept informed of a project’s progress.
Public Exhibitions
In-person exhibitions took place on 22nd November 2022 at Glenbarr Village Hall and on 23rd November 2022 at Campbeltown Town Hall and we're grateful to everyone who took the time to come along and speak to the team. If you were not able to attend, you can still view the Virtual Exhibition and get in touch with any questions you have.
We are also planning a further consultation event later this year where we will present our developed plans ahead of submitting our proposals to the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit for determination by Scottish Government Ministers.
Get in touch
You can get in touch directly with any questions or comments by emailing cnocbuidhe@belltownpower.com If you'd like to register for project updates, or as a local supplier, please complete the form below.
Opportunities for Local businesses and Suppliers
Belltown Power is committed to providing material benefit to the communities that host them. To ensure this happens we will use local supply chain where they meet the project’s HSEQ requirements and where they are within 10% of the best quote tendered.
There are a wide range of services and suppliers required to build and operate a wind farm including but not limited to:
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Construction, drainage and fencing contractors,
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Materials suppliers and building merchants,
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Plant hire and security,
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Fuel providers and waste management, and
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Local hospitality providers and car hire.
To understand the full range of opportunities available please register on our supplier database and we will get in touch.
Meet the Buyer
In due course, we will be holding “Meet the Buyer” events where you can meet the project team, we can learn more about your business and we can discuss opportunities to work together.
If you believe you can supply our development or simply want to understand more we would love to hear from you. All you need to do is register above or email us and one of our team will be in contact to collect further details and answer any questions.
Feedback
News
In March 2023 we submitted our Scoping Report to the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit. The scoping process allows us to engage with key stakeholders ahead of submitting a planning application to ensure our methodology and approach is suitable and will allow them to properly opine on our subsequent Section 36 application.
The Scoping Report and all associated documents are available on the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit website and in the Project Documents section above.
We will be holding a virtual exhibition (15 Nov -19 Dec) and two in-person exhibitions (22 Nov - Glenbarr Hall near Glenbarr Stores 1-7pm and 23 Nov - Campbeltown Town Hall 9-12 noon).
Do please join us at one of these events where you can ask questions about our proposal and share your views. Please also complete a Feedback form.
Installation of a temporary, 80m high meteorological mast commenced this month, following planning consent being granted. It will be used to measure and validate the wind resource at the Cnoc Buidhe site.
