REG Greenburn Ltd has developed proposals for a wind farm and battery storage facility adjacent to the former Greenburn opencast coal mine near New Cumnock.

Formerly a world-class mining operation, coal extraction at Greenburn ended in 2018. The landscape restoration works were completed in the summer of 2019, with final work being carried out in 2020.

Although the wind farm will be located next to the restored land, the land use at Greenburn demonstrates the full evolution of power generation.

The Section 36 application - reference  ECU00002037 - was consented by Ministers on 21 April 2023.

Since then, REG Power Management Ltd and ESB have been conducting energy yield studies and a commercial appraisal of the project to finalise their plans for implementation. This exercise has identified that:

• since the original application construction costs have greatly increased; and

• the neighbouring wind farm that is currently under construction, will affect the energy generation capacity of several of Greenburn’s consented turbines.

REG and ESB are therefore proposing revisions to the consented wind park to improve the generating capacity of the Greenburn Wind Park, while reducing construction costs, enabling a commercially viable project to be progressed. The 14 retained turbines would all be at the same location as the already consented proposal (barring T11, moved slightly to avoid a Telecoms Link).

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REG and ESB are proposing the following revisions

• reducing the number of turbines from 16 to 14;

• increasing the consented turbine blade tip heights of 11 turbines to 180m and three to 167.5m; and

• fitting six of the 14 turbines with visible aviation lighting which is subject to CAA and MOD approval. (To ensure the safety of air traffic, aviation authorities require wind turbines over 150m to be fitted with aviation (night-time) lighting).

Battery storage will be co-located with the wind farm to maximise the use of the grid connection.

A drop-in public exhibition was held on 29 May at New Cumnock Town Hall (11:00-18:00 hrs) for people to:

• see how the proposed scheme has changed;

• ask any questions;

• see new visualisations from various locations; and

• meet the team and provide feedback. (NB: Feedback to the project team closed on 19 June 2024). Comments made at this stage, are not representations to Scottish Government: you will have an opportunity to make a formal representation about the revised proposals for Greenburn wind park, when an application is submitted to Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit.

REG and ESB anticipate submitting a Section 36C application (to vary the existing consent) to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit in autumn 2024.

Drop-in public exhibition (panels here)

April 2023

• Greenburn wind park consented by Ministers. See here

May 2024

• Public exhibition for people to see the revised proposals.

• Public consultation on the revised scheme

June 2024

• Feedback to the project team closed at 17:00hrs on 19 June 2024. Comments made at this stage, are not representations to Scottish Government: you will have an opportunity to make a formal representation about the revised proposals for Greenburn wind park, when an application is submitted to Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit later this summer.

Summer 2024

• Updated Environmental Impact Assessment completed

Autumn 2024

• Section 36C Application submitted to Scottish Government

• Formal, public consultation period open