NEWS

January 31 2013 - RES submits appeal for Minnygap Wind Farm

RES has submitted an appeal against Dumfries and Galloway Council's refusal to grant planning permission.

Dumfries and Galloway Counci's Planning Applications Committee rejected the 20MW scheme on 24 October 2012 on the grounds that the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) Eskdalemuir Seismic Array would be adversely affected.

Graeme Kerr, RES Development Project Manager, commented: "We are confident that Minnygap would not impact on the operation of the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array. Firstly, the limits set by the MoD to ensure vibrations from wind projects do not affect the Array have not yet been reached by operational or consented wind farms and would not be exceeded should Minnygap be approved. As such Minnygap could be consented, built and operated without impacting on the operation of the Array.

In addition, the way the MoD has notionally allocated the remaining vibration budget on a 'first come first served basis' to projects as they enter the planning system is unfair, and is currently unnecessarily delaying the delivery of numerous wind energy developments, including Minnygap."

Read the full press release (PDF)...

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October 25 2012 - Visit Scotland clarifies position on Minnygap Wind Farm in letter to The Herald

Visit Scotland has clarified its position on the Minnygap proposal and wind farms in general.

Chief Executive Malcolm Roughead wrote a letter to The Herald on October 25 stating the organisations position.

You can read the letter here and below.

VisitScotland is not against the principle of wind farm development

I must clarify VisitScotland's position on wind farms ("VisitScotland admits wind farms could harm tourism", The Herald, October 22).

VisitScotland is not against the principle of wind farm development.

We support the drive for renewable energy and recognise the potential of Scotland's vast resource.

It is well documented that the vast majority of potential visitors would not be discouraged from visiting Scotland on account of wind farm developments.

While it is not our role to object to wind farm applications, we do, however, have a responsibility on a case-by-case basis to bring to the attention of developers the interests of the tourism industry and advise on sensitive siting where appropriate.

This has been our position for some time and, despite news reports to the contrary, this has not changed.

The article suggests that VisitScotland  had "opposed plans" for a turbine development at Lockerbie. This is inaccurate.

VisitScotland asked the developers to bear in mind the route of the Southern Upland Way in determining the final siting of the development.

Over recent years VisitScotland  has commented in a similar vein in respect of a number of developments across the country.

Ultimately, it is for individual local authorities, having reviewed all the evidence available, to decide what is right for their area.

Malcolm Roughead,

Chief Executive,

VisitScotland.

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October 24 2012 - RES disappointed by Dumfries and Galloway Council's decision to refuse Minnygap Wind Farm

Leading renewable energy developer RES, has expressed its disappointment following today's decision by Dumfries and Galloway Council to refuse Minnygap Wind Farm.

The application for ten turbines, south west of Moffat, was reviewed by Dumfries and Galloway's Planning Committee. The committee rejected the 20MW scheme on the grounds that the MoD's Eskdalemuir Seismic Array would be adversely affected.  Councillors also overturned the advice of their planning officers by including impact on landscape and tourism as reasons for refusal.

Bruce Henry, RES Development Project Manager, said: "This is a huge disappointment. We have worked closely on the proposed Minnygap Wind Farm with a wide range of stakeholders over the last seven years.  Taking on board the comments we received from key consultees we implemented major changes, including reducing the number of turbines from 15 to 10 and redesigning the scheme so it fits in well with the neighbouring Harestanes Wind Farm. The council planning department did not recommend the project for refusal on landscape grounds.  In addition, Visit Scotland did not object to the proposal and there is no supporting evidence that the wind farm would adversely affect tourism. We are also confident that the operation of a wind farm here need not have a detrimental effect on the MoD's Eskdalemuir Seismic Array."

Read the full press release (PDF)...

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ACTION FOR RENEWABLES PANORAMA REBUTTAL

Action for Renewables has produced a video rebutting the claims made in the BBC's recent Panorama programme "What's fuelling energy price rises?". The video is presented by the Chair of A4R, Tony Juniper, and can be found below:

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7 April 2010 - Visit to see a working wind farm

Visiting a wind farm can be useful in helping people learn more about wind energy and understanding what the project proposed for their area might look like.  We always offer people the opportunity to visit an operating wind farm so they are able to have firsthand experience, this helps dispel common myths and misconceptions about wind turbines. 

RES is offering a trip to a local wind farm on Wednesday 7th April 2010.

Transportation and refreshments will be provided by RES.  If you would be interested in joining us please contact Rachel Anderson for more information.

 Information Flyer (PDF)...

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5-6 August 2009 - Minnygap Public Exhibitions

We will be holding exhibitions at the following venues in August, to enable people to view the Environmental Statement (ES) and present the full details of our application: 

Wednesday 5th August:  Town Hall, Moffat, 2-8pm
Thursday 6th August:  Johnstone Parish Hall, Johnstonebridge, 10-3pm.

We look forward to meeting you and explaining our plans in more detail.

Public Exhibition Flyer (PDF)...

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August 2009 - Newsletter published

A newsletter about Minnygap Wind Farm has gone out to over 2,000 houses around the site to explain our plans in more detail.We would be happy to cover any issues in more detail in forthcoming newsletters. If you would like to see anything discussed in more detail, please let us know.

Newsletter (PDF)...

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28 July 2009 - RES submits plans for Minnygap Wind Farm

RES is pleased to announce it has submitted plans for Minnygap Wind Farm, located 8km southwest of Moffat, to Dumfries and Galloway Council.  The 10 turbine wind farm, will be able to provide enough clean green power for between;11,000- 12,000 Scottish households, which is equivalent to 15% of the households in Dumfries and Galloway.

Press Release (PDF)...