Planning approved for Hoy and Quanterness windfarms

Two of Orkney Islands Council’s three windfarm projects have received planning approval — despite being recommended for refusal by the Scottish Government’s planning reporter.

Plans to erect six wind turbines at maximum height of 149.9 metres at Quanterness in St Ola and a further six at land near Lyness in Hoy, are both set to go ahead after the Scottish Government overturned the reporter’s recommendation.

The news was confirmed this Tuesday evening. The application for a further six turbines in Faray, west of Eday, is still under consideration by the government’s planning and environmental appeals division.

The council previously wrote to ministers to request that they consider calling in the applications to be considered independently of OIC itself.

It is hoped that OIC’s Community Wind Farm Project could bring massive economic and environmental benefits to the county.

This includes its potential to have a direct influence on the needs case for new subsea interconnector between Orkney and the Scottish mainland. It is believed that a new interconnector would make a significant contribution to meeting national net-zero carbon emissions targets.

The council also hopes that the people of Orkney will be able to gain from the project through a community benefit scheme distributing a proportion of profits from the the windfarms.