RES has signed an agreement with local civils contractor, Edward Mackay, at its Kintradwell wind farm proposal in east Sutherland.
The agreement grants Edward Mackay the right of first refusal of civil construction work for the planned scheme –helping to ensure important local jobs and employment opportunities for local people should the project obtain consent.
RES has also committed itself to funding a local apprenticeship at Edward Mackay, with a view to completing the apprenticeship in time for construction work beginning at Kintradwell.
The scheme, which lies approximately 8 kilometers north of Brora, has undergone many design iterations. In response to community input and site survey work, the plan decreased from 22 turbines to 15. Feedback and subsequent adjustments have helped to refine the scheme by reducing the visibility of the plan especially in the Brora and Doll regions.
“One of the key areas of feedback from the community was that people wanted to see real local jobs being delivered from the project, and we have taken this seriously. RES has a strong track-record of working closely with the local supply chain around its projects to maximise inward investment and local benefit. As such, we feel that this partnership with Edward Mackays could be really beneficial for the area.”
John Appleton, senior development project manager, RES.
“We employ around 100 local staff from areas such as Brora, Golspie and Helmsdale, and have extensive wind farm experience. All credit to RES for engaging with local businesses and for giving us the opportunity to get stuck into a project on our doorstep, should it proceed. The work that we are looking at is significant and could be a real boost for not only our business but the whole area, so we’re hoping that the community will get behind the project once it’s been submitted into planning.”
Liam Mackay, director, Edward Mackays.
If consented, Kintradwell will have the ability to generate approximately £4.7 million in local economic benefits in the form of jobs, employment and the use of local services. The agreement with Edward Mackay indicates that this prediction may have been greatly surpassed.
Kintradwell will also be able to produce enough clean, low-cost renewable electricity for approximately 69,000 households, make a valuable contribution to Scotland’s renewable energy goals and help tackle climate change.
A Section 36 application for consent is expected to be submitted to the Scottish Government towards the end of this year.
