17 Jun 2024
Locals, residents and businesses are being invited to a meeting on 25 June at Duns Volunteer Hall to discuss the plans for Lees Hill Renewable Energy Park in Berwickshire.
Fred Olsen Renewables has submitted an application for Scottish Ministers’ consent to construct and operate Lees Hill Renewable Energy Park at a site on Langton Lees Farm to the South of Hardens Hill. This will cover a significant proportion of the area between the Duns to Longformacus road and the Duns to Westruther road.
The proposal consists of 6 x 200m wind turbines, almost 70 hectares (say 100 football pitches) of reflective solar panels, a battery storage system made of large containers holding batteries, an onsite substation and temporary construction compounds.
The application was submitted by the developer in April, and therefore consultees and the public only have a few weeks left to provide feedback.
Locals are concerned about the impact of this project on the local area, reasons include:
The MoD has objected on grounds of aircraft safety and radar clutter
There is a major gas pipeline running through the site, but
Battery farms are accompanied by significant risks of combustion
When the wind blows Scotland already produces much more wind energy than it can consume
Last year Scottish Onshore Wind Farms received £186m in payments to shut down their windfarms
Fred Olsen acknowledge that the benefit to the Borders and Scottish economies is “negligible”
There are already 360 turbines in the area
The tallest of these is only 145m tall (compared to 200m proposed, or almost 40% taller)
Most of the existing turbines in the area, like Black Hill, are much more constrained by the natural landscape
“Community benefit” is based on figures that are 11 years old - £5000MW/turbine, plus £500/MW for the solar array. Nothing for the battery storage.
More information on the event, and the project, can be found here: http://www.dunsleeshillsos.com/ or email info@dunsleeshillsos.com
Event details – Dun Lees Hill SOS “Save Our Skyline”
Location: Duns Volunteer Hall
Date: Tuesday 25 June
Time: 7pm
[Image is a potential view of Lees Hill Renewable Energy Park from Duns/Longformacus road]