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MELVICH WIND ENERGY HUB

Welcome to our website for the Melvich 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 UK and Scottish government climate change targets and ensure a green and sustainable future for generations to come. You can find out more about us here.

The aim of this website is to provide easy access to the latest key project information as well as setting out how you can get involved and share your views. We look forward to hearing from you.

Show Your Stripes - Professor Ed Hawkins (University of Reading) – Just Scotland
Image Source: Show Your Stripes - Professor Ed Hawkins (University of Reading) Graphics show yearly global temperature change since 1850 (left) & yearly temperature change in Scotland since 1884 (right)

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 5-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

Melvich 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 56,800 homes 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

 

  1. WMO, Weather-related disasters
  2. Statista, Historic average carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, Ian Tiseo
  3. RenewableUK, Statistics explained
Turbines and moth

Project Proposal

The site is located south west of the village of Melvich in Sutherland. It is currently an area of open moorland and common grazing.

Belltown Power’s Project Team have been working closely with relevant specialists in their field to carry out extensive site surveys and site assessments. This has helped to define the site's potential which we then consulted local people on throughout 2022. Your feedback subsequently helped shaped our final proposal which has now been submitted to Scottish Government for consideration. The final proposal comprises 12 turbines up to 149.9m tip height. These, together with an energy storage facility, a Wind Farm Walk and peat and habitat enhancements, collectively make up the Wind Energy Hub. The full planning application and all the associated documents can be viewed below on this page and on Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit website (www.energyconsents.scot) using the project reference ECU00004514 where representations can also be submitted up to 19 May 2023.

Any subsequent additional information which is submitted by the Company will be subject to further public notice in this manner, and representations to such information will be accepted as per this notice.

As a result of a statutory objection from the relevant planning authority, or where the Scottish Ministers decide to exercise their discretion to do so, Scottish Ministers can also cause a Public Inquiry to be held.

Following examination of the environmental information, the Scottish Ministers will determine the application for consent in two ways:

  • grant consent to the proposed Development, with or without conditions attached; or
  • reject the application.
Proposal map

What’s next...

Thank you to everyone who got in touch online, and came along in person to our public exhibitions throughout 2022 to find out more about Melvich Wind Energy Hub. We received some great feedback which has helped to shape our final proposals. Now the planning application has been submitted to Scottish Government, there is an opportunity for members of the public to comment on it before it is determined. This public consultation period is now open and you can make representations on the ECU website here. More information will be available on this website as this application progresses, and you can register for updates or get in touch below.

Timeline

13/14 Jun 22

First Consultation Events

Jun 22 – Mar 23

Preparation of Planning Submission

Oct - Nov 22

Second Consultation Events

March 23

Planning Submission

Q2 24 – Q4 24

Indicative Planning Determination

Q2 25

Start Construction Target

H2 26 - H1 27

Target Commercial Operation Date

Community

Community – groundbreaking ownership offering

Community Ownership

At Belltown Power we fundamentally believe that renewable energy projects should benefit the communities that host them. Communities local to the Melvich 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:

  • Giving local community organisations 1% of the equity in the project for free..

  • 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 and Electricity Discount Scheme

In addition to this attractive ownership offering, we are committed to providing £5,000/MW/year (index linked) Community Benefit for the lifetime of the project. For Melvich this represents £288,000 of community benefit each year for 40 years, a total of £11.5 million over the lifetime of the project*.

Based on the feedback received from the local community during consultations, we are proposing to use a signifcant portion of this Community Benefit to implement an Electricity Discount Scheme (EDS) for local residents and businesses. Properties within approximately 5km of a turbine would be eligible for a £600* discount on their electricity bill each year for the operational life of the project. Properties between 5km and approximately 10km would be eligible for a £300* discount per year. These EDS Zones are shown below.

We are proposing to reserve a portion of the Community Benefit for local projects and initiatives. We can be flexible as to when and how the community receives this funding and can offer front loading for projects that have high initial investment needs. Organisations like Foundation Scotland and Local Energy Scotland can advise and assist communities to decide how best to use these funds to maximise benefit locally. 

 

*the real sum will be greater as community benefit is index linked to CPI.

Proposed Electricity Discount Scheme Zones
Proposed Electricity Discount Scheme Zones

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 and scientists who will  help tackle the climate emergency.

Local Environment

Everyone at Belltown Power is involved in the renewable energy industry through a desire to tackle the climate crisis. In addition to powering over 56,800 homes each year and saving some 91,986 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year for the 40-year life time of the project* we will implement a comprehensive and tailored Habitat Management Plan to ensure that the Melvich Wind Energy Hub delivers a net ecological benefit through careful habitat design, creation and management.

* Figures based on a wind energy hub comprising 12 turbines at 4.8MW for 40 years and recognised assumptions stated here.

Get involved & give your feedback

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.

As part of the consultation process, we held two in-person exhibitions (as well as a virtual exhibition online) in June 2022  for local people to meet the project team. These took place at Strathy Village Hall and at Halladale Village Hall.  A number of local people attended and we also received feedback online and in the post.

We took the feedback from the first consultation and used it to develop the project further, which we then presented during a second round of consultation. As well as another virtual exhibition, we held another set of in-person, public exhibitions on Wednesday 2 November 2022 at the Halladale Inn and Strathy Village Hall. It was encouraging to see so many people come along and provide their views on the proposal, we greatly appreciate all of the feedback from those who came along, got in touch online, and sent feedback by post.

Your feedback throughout these consultations has been really valuable to shape the final proposals which have now been submitted to Scottish Government. You can now make formal representations on the proposal via the Energy Consents Unit site reference ECU00004514. You have until 19 May 2023 to do so.

If you have any specific queries not answered by the information on this website please email the team at melvich@belltownpower.com or register for updates.

Register

You can still register as a local supplier, register for updates, or request a call back from one of our team if you have a specific question or concern. 

Register

Opportunities for Local businesses and Suppliers

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 are within 10% of the best quote tendered and meet the project’s HSEQ requirements.

There are a wide range of services and suppliers required to build and operate a wind farm including but not limited to

  • construction, drainage and fencing contractors

  • materials suppliers and building merchants

  • plant hire and security

  • fuel providers and waste management and

  • 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 on the form below, or email us at melvich@belltownpower.com and one of our team will get back to you. 

News

We're very pleased to confirm submission of our planning application to the Scottish Government for the Melvich Wind Energy Hub.

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to shaping our proposals by providing feedback and attending our public consultations. Members of the team will be at Strathy Village Hall on 20th April from 8am-8pm to answer any questions, and a physical copy of the planning application is available at the hall.

The full planning application and all the associated documents can be viewed above on this page and on Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit website (www.energyconsents.scot) using the project reference ECU00004514 where representations can also be submitted up to 19 May 2023.

Any subsequent additional information which is submitted by the Company will be subject to further public notice in this manner, and representations to such information will be accepted as per this notice.

As a result of a statutory objection from the relevant planning authority, or where the Scottish Ministers decide to exercise their discretion to do so, Scottish Ministers can also cause a Public Inquiry to be held.

Following examination of the environmental information, the Scottish Ministers will determine the application for consent in two ways:

  • grant consent to the proposed Development, with or without conditions attached; or
  • reject the application.

We would like to extend our thanks to everyone who came along to our second round of public exhibitions. Another big 'thank you' to everyone who provided feedback either in the exhibition, online, or by post. We really appreciate all the feedback and engagement with the project.

The views shared are an invaluable source of information for the project team. We are taking your feedback on board as we move towards a planning submission in early 2023.

The information presented in the exhibitions is still available on this website. We will continue to provide further updates as the project progresses.

Meanwhile if you have any specific questions or issues you’d like to raise with the team please email melvich@belltownpower.com.

This second consultation event will run from 26 Oct to 16 Nov and will include:

Physical Exhibitions

  • Wednesday 2 Nov, Halladale Inn, 0900-1200
  • Wednesday 2 Nov, Strathy Village Hall, 1400-1800

Please come and meet the team to find out more about the revised proposals, ask questions and share your views.

Virtual Exhibition

If you are unable to attend the exhibitions in person, or would like to view the exhibition material again, a virtual exhibition will be available.

The event has been advertised in local media and an invitation has been sent to local residents by post. We welcome all feedback, which you can submit by returning the feedback form included with your exhibition invitation by Freepost, or online by 16 December 2022, here. We look forward to engaging with any questions and feedback you may have about the project.

A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who turned out at the public exhibitions we held at Strathy and Halladale. We had around 25 people drop in over the two days.

It was very useful for the team to meet local people and to hear your views and to get your ideas and suggestions for the community benefit.

We’d also like to thank all of you who have already taken the trouble to send in your Feedback questionnaires in the post: we are busy logging and analysing all of these.

There will be follow up conversations on all aspects of the project with community representatives over the summer. We hope to hold a second public exhibition this autumn to present more detailed information on certain elements of the proposed wind farm outside Melvich.

If you were unable to attend, you’ll find the exhibition online, on the website here and feedback is open until 25th June.

Meanwhile if you have any specific questions or issues you’d like to raise with the team please email melvich@belltownpower.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Local residents are being invited to view plans for a new Wind Energy Hub near Melvich in Sutherland. The plans from Belltown Power will be on display for two days in mid-June and the company are keen to get feedback from local people.

The Belltown team will be on hand at the two-day public exhibition to answer any questions local residents may have and to gather views on the proposal.

Commenting on the consultation, Joel Hutchinson, Head of Development at Belltown Power said; “This is our first consultation event and we want to hear what local residents think of our plans for the Melvich development. We’re keen to engage with as many local folk as we can so we are holding these exhibitions face to face, as well as making the exhibition available online.

“We’ve also written to over 1000 households around the development site with details of the plans and a freepost, feedback form so if they cannot attend they can still send us their views.”

Belltown Power submitted a Scoping Report to the Scottish Government in June of this year. The current proposal consists of up to 13 turbines across the site, enough to produce over 60MW of clean energy.

Belltown has committed to five thousand pounds of community benefit per megawatt installed, which could mean over £310,000 per year for the local community. This could be used to fund local initiatives, help towards local electricity bills or be used to increase the community’s ownership in the wind farm.

Commenting further Joel Hutchinson said; “We really want to talk to residents about our ground-breaking community ownership package, this gives communities a 1% stake for free. Local communities may also wish to front load community benefits funds to increase the community’s investment in the project, bringing tangible benefits to the heart of the community.”  

The online, virtual exhibition runs from 6 June to the 25 June and shows all the exhibition panels and boards. Residents can also complete an online feedback form. For more information visit  www.belltownpower.com/uk/melvich/

The in-person, public exhibitions will be held on Monday 13 June and Tuesday 14 June,

Monday 13 June, Strathy Hall, 2 – 7pm

Tuesday 14 June, Halladale Hall, 10am – 2pm

We have recently installed a temporary meteorological mast – a ‘met mast’ – on the proposed site of the Wind Energy Hub in Melvich. The mast – which was granted planning permission by the local authority prior to installation - will be used to measure wind speed and direction on the proposed site. The data it provides will be used in combination with the noise monitoring that is scheduled to be undertaken later this year, to facilitate our final proposed layout design for the project.