Craiginmoddie Wind Farm
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Craiginmoddie wind farm Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report May 2020 Energiekontor UK Ltd +44 (0) 131 600 0850 Craiginmoddie windfarm Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 EIA REGULATORY FRAMEWORK 2 3 SITE DESCRIPTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 5 4 PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT 9 5 SCOPE OF THE EIA 18 6 EIA ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 65 7 SUMMARY 68 Figures Figure 1 Site Boundary Figure 2 Turbine Layout Figure 3 Zone of Theoretical Visibility to Tip Height Figure 4 Landscape Character Figure 5 Landscape Designation and Wild Land Area Energiekontor UK Ltd | May 2020 i Craiginmoddie windfarm Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Energiekontor UK Ltd is evaluating the potential of land at Craiginmoddie in South Ayrshire, ("the Site") for the development of a wind farm of approximately 16 turbines each between 180 - 230m blade tip heights with generating capacity of around 90 MW including associated crane pads, access tracks, a substation and temporary construction compound ("the Proposed Development") under Section 36 of the Electricity Act (1989). 1.2 The Site (Figure 1) formed part of larger area that was subject of the Section 36 Hadyard Hill windfarm Extension (ECU 00003118) submitted by SSE in 2015, comprising of 31 turbines (subsequently reduced to 22). SSE withdrew their application prior to its determination by Scottish Ministers. Energiekontor UK Ltd 1.3 Energiekontor UK Ltd is a renewable energy development company with offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds. The company was formed in 1999 and develops onshore wind and solar farms throughout the UK. We have eight operational sites in the UK with permissions in place for a further eight wind farms, seven of which are located in Scotland. We are a complete service company that identifies potential wind farm sites and promotes them through the planning process. 1.4 If permission is obtained we manage the finance and construction processes before managing our sites for their full operational lifecycle. We have an operations team in Glasgow who are responsible for operating and maintaining our sites in Scotland. In 2018 we became the first developer to build a subsidy-free wind farm in the UK. Energiekontor UK Ltd | May 2020 1 Craiginmoddie windfarm Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report 2 EIA REGULATORY FRAMEWORK What is EIA 2.1 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a statutory process that is governed by UK and European law. It aims to improve the environmental design of a development proposal and provides decision-makers with sufficient information about the potential environmental impacts of a proposal. 2.2 The Report of the EIA (EIAR), prepared during the EIA process, sets out the environmental information about a scheme, including a description of the proposal, its predicted environmental effects and the measures proposed to ameliorate any adverse effects. The EIA Process 2.3 The EIA follows an iterative process that usually follows the following stages: . Screening is the first, optional, stage of the EIA process where the relevant authorities decide whether EIA is required; . Once it has been agreed that EIA is required, scoping is undertaken to define what should be assessed as part of the EIA and reported in the EIAR. This is usually done in partnership between the applicant and the relevant determining authority; . With the scope set, relevant information on the environmental baseline conditions is collected. This information is then used initially to understand the dynamics of the likely environmental effects and to inform the design of the project to minimise the potential for significant adverse effects; . The formal assessment process is then undertaken on the design parameters to define the significant effects of the project both on its own and in combination with other projects in close proximity; . Any significant adverse effects that are identified during the formal assessment process are then reviewed against the design to consider whether alterations could be made to minimise the effect. Should this occur the formal assessment process is reiterated; and . Where significant adverse effects cannot be minimised through alterations to the design itself, mitigation measures are considered. Monitoring and compensation may also be considered to measure the actual significance of the effect during and post- construction, to allow the management of mitigation where appropriate and to provide compensation where considered appropriate. 2.4 Once the EIA is completed, the EIAR is submitted to the relevant authority for consideration. Screening – Is EIA Required 2.5 The first stage of the EIA process is to screen with the relevant authority whether a development would constitute EIA development. Energiekontor UK Ltd | May 2020 2 Craiginmoddie windfarm Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report 2.6 Development projects that are described within Schedule 1 of the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (EIA) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (the “EIA Regulations”), will always require EIA and are referred to as ‘Schedule 1 Developments’. 2.7 Development projects listed in Schedule 2 of the EIA Regulations that are located in a ‘sensitive area’ or exceed one of the relevant criteria or thresholds given in Schedule 2 are referred to as ‘Schedule 2 Developments’. Not all Schedule 2 Developments will require EIA as only a development project that is likely to have significant environmental effects by virtue of its size, location or nature will require such assessment. A development project that requires EIA is referred to as ‘EIA development’. 2.8 In this case, the Proposed Development (as detailed within Section 4 of this Report) is of a type described within Schedule 2 as an installation for the harnessing of wind power for energy productions. It is not located within a ‘sensitive area’ as defined by the EIA Regulations, however, the project would exceed both of the applicable thresholds as it involves more than two wind turbines with hub heights of more than fifteen metres. 2.9 The scale, nature and location of the Proposed Development are such that, in order to allow the environmental impacts of the project to be appropriately considered, Energiekontor UK Ltd has taken the decision to voluntarily undertake EIA in this case. Therefore, no Screening Opinion will be sought from the Energy Consent Unit. Scoping – What to Consider 2.10 Once it has been determined that an EIA is required, the next stage of the process is scoping. Scoping is an exercise conducted at an early stage in the EIA process and is designed to ensure that the environmental studies provide all the relevant information on: . The impacts of the project, in particular focusing on the significant effects; . The alternatives; and . Other matters considered to be relevant. 2.11 The findings of this exercise define the ‘scope’ of the environmental information to be provided and the terms of reference for the environmental studies to be undertaken. The scope of the work however remains flexible and can be amended should new issues or information arise while undertaking the EIA. Purpose and Structure of this Report 2.12 The purpose of this Report is to formally request the Scottish Ministers to adopt a Scoping Opinion in accordance with Regulation 12(1) of the EIA Regulations. As required under Regulation 12(2) this Report includes: . A description of the location of the development, including a plan sufficient to identify the land (see Section 3 of this Report with the site boundary shown on Figure 1); and . A brief description of the nature and purpose of the development and its likely significant effects on the environment (see Section 4 of this Report with the draft turbine layout on Figure 2). 2.13 Submitting a request for a Scoping Opinion will allow Energiekontor UK Ltd to be clear about what the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) and South Ayrshire Council (SAC) as the local Energiekontor UK Ltd | May 2020 3 Craiginmoddie windfarm Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report planning authority consider to be the main effects and therefore the topics on which the EIA should focus. 2.14 This Report also provides an outline of relevant environmental receptors that may be significantly affected by the Proposed Development and describes the information that is envisaged to be submitted as part of the EIAR. This approach enables consultees with a particular interest to identify whether any potentially significant impacts have been omitted, suggest additional mitigation measures or to comment on the suitability of the intended method of assessment if necessary. 2.15 Comments on the scope of the EIA are invited. Should consultees be in a position to identify or provide additional relevant information concerning the existing environment or any specific local issues, this would be welcomed. Energiekontor UK Ltd | May 2020 4 Craiginmoddie windfarm Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report 3 SITE DESCRIPTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT The Site 3.1 The proposed Site (“The Site”) is located within South Ayrshire Council and consists predominantly of rough grassland ground cover and extensive areas of plantation forestry. 3.2 The site lies along an undulating ridge adjacent to the existing Hadyard Hill wind farm. The existing Hadyard Hill wind farm is an operational wind farm (commissioned in 2006) comprising 52 turbines. The site is situated in the Carrick Hills in the south-east of South Ayrshire. It lies to the north of the Stinchar Valley and the south of the Girvan Valley in an upland area comprising low to medium sized hills, where landcover mostly comprises open moorland and coniferous forestry. 3.3 The site is located in a Landscape Character Type (LCT) classified as ‘Foothills with Forest and Wind Farms’ LCT as identified in the South Ayrshire Landscape Wind Capacity Study (LWCS). This combines a subdivision of the broader Foothills with Forest LCT with a subdivision of the Foothills LCT as identified in the original Ayrshire Landscape Character Area study and reflects the change in character through the introduction of the Hadyard Hill Wind Farm.