Location

Located in the Tain and Easter Ross peninsula, Beinn Tharsuinn sits approximately 12.5 km north-west of Alness, within the administrative boundary of The Highland Council.

Current Stage

ScottishPower Renewables (UK) Limited, (SPR) is developing Beinn Tharsuinn Repower and has submitted a request for Pre-Application and Environmental Assessment (EIA) Scoping advice to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit. Copies of the submitted documentation can be found in the ‘Documents’ section of this webpage.

Project History

Operational since 2005, the existing Beinn Tharsuinn Windfarm consists of 17 turbines, generating a combined 29 megawatts (MW). The proposed development will consist of approximately 31 wind turbines, with blade tip heights of up to 180 metres. 

We have undertaken a number of surveys to establish the environmental baseline data for the site. This information has helped to inform the design and development of the current proposed layout. 

Community Consultation

Early consultation is key to the way we develop projects, and throughout the development process we seek to ensure local communities and stakeholders are given the opportunity to provide feedback and are kept informed of project progress.

Consultation feedback combined with findings from environmental surveys and technical studies is vital in shaping the design of the proposed development ahead of submitting an application to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit.

You can also contact the project team at any time via the project mailbox address noted in the "Contact" section below.

Benefits

As a responsible developer and operator of renewable energy, we believe the benefits of our projects should be shared with the communities in which we work.

During the operation of our onshore renewable energy developments, we provide community benefit funds in recognition of a community hosting nationally significant infrastructure. We believe local people are best placed to determine which initiatives will deliver the greatest impact to their area. Therefore, our approach is to empower communities to make their own decisions about how funds should be spent. 

To date, our operational onshore windfarms have contributed £67.6 million to communities across the United Kingdom. Over £2.3 million of this has been shared with local communities in the Highlands and of which, £1.7 million can be attributed to our existing Beinn Tharsuinn windfarm. Repowering Beinn Tharsuinn Windfarm and Beinn Tharsuinn Extension will further increase community benefit funds available to neighbouring communities.

Community benefit funds have led to the delivery of a diverse range of projects, which include environmental improvements, educational programmes, heritage projects, the purchase of community transport vehicles, provision of life saving defibrillators, investment in energy efficiency measures within community buildings, and much more besides. Read more about how we engage with our communities here: Powering Communities.

Contact

The Project Team can be contacted directly by emailing: beinntharsuinnrepower@scottishpower.com

Or by post at:

FAO: Beinn Tharsuinn Windfarm Repower Project Team

ScottishPower Renewables

9th Floor ScottishPower Headquarters

320 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5AD

Project Documents

Please click on the links below to view the Beinn Tharsuinn Repower and Extension application documents.