Wind and solar company latest to keep faith with Scotland amid Brexit confusion
ENERGIEKONTOR, a German wind and solar energy business, plans to build a 12 turbine windfarm in the Borders near Hawick.
The firm which has wings in Leeds, Glasgow and the Netherlands is in the process of gaining planning permission from local authorities which will result in the project called Pines Burn.
All twelve turbines would have the potential to supply electricity to around 29,000 households and comes after fears that the UK leaving the European Union could have damaging effects on inward renewables investment.
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Speaking to CommonSpace about the Pine Burn projects, Duncan Taylor project manager for Energiekontor said: “The Pines Burn development is Energiekontor’s first application from a Scottish portfolio totalling in excess of 600 megawatts (MWs).
“If consented the development could be one of the first to operate without any public support mechanisms – an encouraging thought when the industry is undergoing significant change.
“In the context of Brexit and Indyref2 we remain committed to the Scottish market, and confident in the Scottish Government’s commitment to renewables.”
The parent group Energiekontor AG was originally established in northern Germany around 1990 and has gone on to develop 90 windfarms in Germany, Portugal and the UK with a total capacity of 700 MW with an investment of up to £750m.
“In the context of Brexit and Indyref2 we remain committed to the Scottish market, and confident in the Scottish Government’s commitment to renewables.” Duncan Taylor
Each turbine in the proposed windfarm would generate up to 3MW meaning a total capacity of 45MW being produced for local electricity needs. According to research by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, roughly 1MW per hour can potentially supply electricity to about 650 residential homes.
If approved and completed the Pines Burn project would mean an increase in the amount of sustainable energy directed towards the borders region which has historically lagged behind the north-east and west lothian regions.
After a period of 25 years the proposed development there is the option to have the turbines removed and the area restored to its pre-construction condition.
Picture courtesy of Windswart Energie
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