npower renewables submitted a planning application to the Highland Council, on Thursday 26th March 2005 for the Stroupster Wind Farm, located near Wick, Caithness.

On the 8th June 2006 The Caithness Local Committee of the Highland Council refused npower renewables plans.

The application was refused partly on the grounds that it did not fit into the Highland Councils Renewable Strategy preferred areas of search for wind farm development. This strategy was adopted only days before the refusal despite the planning application having been lodged a year before this strategy was adopted.

npower renewables is considering whether to appeal against the June 2006 decision. There are obviously wide reaching issues regarding this strategy, not only for this scheme but others in the Highlands. npower renewables is therefore going to have to consider its options to help ensure that suitable schemes continue to be granted consent to meet the Scottish Executives renewable energy targets.

However, npower renewables remains convinced that this is a suitable and productive site for a wind farm. And in May 2007, the company resubmitted a new planning application to Highland Council and we await a decision.

npower renewables already operates the Causeymire Wind Farm south of Thurso which itself is outside the new Highland Councils Renewable Strategy preferred areas of search, and has been generating power since 2004. Whilst the turbines could have been similar in height this new addition would have been around half the size of Causeymire.

The nearby Causeymire Wind Farm, Caithness

The Stroupster Wind Farm proposal is for up to 12 wind turbines rated at around 2.5 megawatts each - giving a combined output in the region of 30 megawatts. A wind farm of this size would generate enough electricity each year to supply the average needs of some 18,500 homes (averaged out across the year and taking into account times of low wind speed).

The site was selected as suitable for a wind farm as it benefits from a number of features that allowed us to design an environmentally-friendly wind farm:

• Outside International, National and Local designations for landscape and ecology.
• High wind speeds ensuring high productivity and high electrical output.
• Good distance from existing properties.
• Potential for ecological improvement by removing conifer woodland and restoring the area to natural blanket bog.
• Excellent road access - an important consideration during the construction period.

npower renewables commissioned a number of independent consultants to carry out an environmental impact assessment of the wind farm proposals. The results of these studies can be viewed in the Non Technical Summary that accompanied the planning application which can be downloaded by clicking on the box to the right. A photomontage of how the scheme would look is also downloadable.

Assessments commissioned include:

• Landscape and visual
• Noise
• Archaeology
• Traffic
• Socio-economic
• Radio and telecommunications
• Breeding and wintering birds
• Habitats and important animal and plant species

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