Broadview

< Back to all project news 28 Jun 2007 - Hill of Fiddes Aberdeenshire wind farm plans unveiled

Plans for a small wind farm at Hill of Fiddes, near Cultercullen, are being unveiled this evening. Broadview Energy wants to build three 102 metre high turbines and a substation with the potential to provide enough energy to power 3,700 homes and displace more than 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

Hill of Fiddes is classed as a Tier 4 site under the local authority planning guidance and is therefore considered a desirable location for a development of this kind.

Jeffrey Corrigan, Managing Director of Broadview Energy, said: “We believe this is a good location for a wind farm as the area has excellent wind speed, good access, very good connections to the National Grid and is designated in the local authority strategy as suitable for this type of small scale development.

"From an original concept, the project has been subject to considerable design input to minimise the environmental impact whilst maximising the environmental benefits. We consider that an appropriately scaled development in this location will provide clean, green energy for a significant number of households whilst enhancing the natural landscape of the area.”

If given the go ahead, the project would see an existing 25m turbine at the summit of the Hill of Fiddes, which has lain abandoned for years, torn down and new turbines sited lower down the hill, minimising the visual impact on the surrounding landscape. It is anticipated that an ancient stone monument located near the site will benefit from the enhanced setting created by the removal of the old dilapidated turbine. An archaeologist clerk of works would be on site for the duration of the turbine removal with a buffer zone placed around the monument to ensure its protection.

Broadview Energy has already carried out extensive environmental and noise impact assessments, landscape visual assessments and traffic management studies with relevant bodies, including the roads department at Aberdeenshire Council.

The company is keen to work with local residents and landowners to minimise these impacts and, where possible, avoid disruption. Broadview recently undertook a voluntary public consultation into the proposed development to offer homeowners living near the site the opportunity to talk to Broadview Energy representatives in person.

A public exhibition will take place at Cultercullen Primary School from 6pm to 9pm tonight (Thursday, June 28th). Comments gathered during the consultation will be taken into account when submitting the planning application.

Construction of the wind farm, if it is approved, is anticipated to start in 2009 and is expected to take four to six months.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Lisa Ross at Broadview Energy Limited (lross@broadviewenergy.com / 020 8487 9150)   

 Notes to editors:

• Broadview Energy Limited develops wind projects in Great Britain that will generate clean, sustainable energy. The company focuses on small projects, typically between two and ten turbines, as they provide greater flexibility in site selection, simpler grid connections, and less visual and other impacts than larger projects. Broadview Energy identifies suitable sites, evaluates them and then takes them to the planning stage and then through to construction and operation.
• The company currently has two projects under development - Hill of Fiddes in Aberdeenshire and Warwick Hall in Cumbria. For more information visit www.broadviewenergy.com

Issued on behalf of Broadview Energy by The BIG Partnership. For more information
contact Zoe Corsi on 01224 578172 or 07973983243.