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24/02/2010 Wind Prospect is starting 2010 determined to live up to its catchphrase - providing services and consultancy “from the people who build their own”.
And the Group is starting with a bang as the Edinburgh team prepares to submit a Section 36 application for the 81MW Braemore wind farm.
The project, which is being developed in partnership with Alpha Wind, will consist of 27 wind turbines, each with a rating in the region of 3MW. This represents Wind Prospect’s largest UK onshore development project to date.
Meanwhile, Wind Prospect and partner RidgeWind have taken the appeal for the 42MW Stacain wind farm to the Court of Session in what they believe will be a landmark case for wind farm development in Scotland.
On the construction side, the 38MW Longpark and 20MW Craigengelt projects are both reaching the final stages of commissioning with Wind Prospect as project manager, whilst the construction team is set to break ground on the 26MW Burnfoot Hill in February.
Wind Prospect’s Civil Engineering Services team are currently engaged in reviewing a number of sites across South Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway and Argyll & Bute, in respect to access, abnormal load movements and site conditions. Wind Prospect continues to provide construction and technical support to a number of clients looking to acquire sites in Scotland.
The Engineering team is also working with SNH and others on Best Practice documents for working in peat and floating road construction.
Work carried out by Wind Prospect’s Advisory Team meanwhile, typically remains confidential. The team which carried out work for the Strath of Brydock, Aikengall and Arnish Moor wind farms, are currently involved in due diligence for several Scottish wind farms and will be submitting proposals for further projects during the first quarter of 2010.
In addition to large-scale wind farm development, 2009 saw Wind Prospect’s on-site generation business, Wind Direct, reach agreements with clients across several industries.
A 2MW turbine at FMC Technologies in Fife gained consent toward the end of last year, with construction due in 2010. Other Wind Direct development projects in the public domain include Kinegar Quarry (Berwickshire), Cloburn Quarry (South Lanarkshire) and Noble Foods at Thornton. The Wind Direct team has also been involved in plans for Owenstown, Scotland’s first eco-town in South Lanarkshire.
Commenting on future development potential for Scotland, Wind Prospect Senior Development Manager, Damian Aubrey said:
“The recent announcement on the Beauly-Denny transmission line was very well received in the Edinburgh office. It benefits all aspects of our business, reinforcing Scotland’s commitment to renewable energy and confirming it as the place to be.
“Burnfoot Hill is our 15th Scottish construction project, bringing our total built in Scotland to 286MW and we are confident that Beauly-Denny means there will be many more.”
The booming Scottish market has helped Wind Prospect’s Edinburgh team grow to 15 by the start of 2010, helping to raise the Group’s resource to 200 staff worldwide.
Wind Prospect’s Scottish business is well and truly in full bloom.
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