Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project
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Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project Technical Description and Environmental Studies Orkney Sustainable Energy Ltd 6 North End Road Stromness Orkney KW16 3AG Final Report Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project October 2007 Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project Technical Description and Environmental Studies Report OSE/2832 October 2007 Project Developer: Charles Simmers Mains of Bogfechel By Whiterashes Aberdeenshire AB21 0QU Telephone 01651 882303 Project design: Richard Gauld BSc(Hons) IEng MInstMC Dip. Design & Innovation Orkney Sustainable Energy Ltd 6 North End Road Stromness Orkney KW16 3AG Telephone 01856 850054 Facsimile 01856 851239 Email [email protected] Richard Gauld is a Member of the Institute of Measurement and Control, is a professional design engineer, and is registered as an Incorporated Engineer with the Engineering Council OSE/2832 1 Final Report Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project October 2007 Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project Report OSE/2832 Technical Description and Environmental Studies This report is presented in two volumes; Volume 1 contains the non-technical summary, the project description, the wind turbine technical description, an ecology assessment, reports on archaeology, transport impacts, electromagnetic Interference, noise and shadow flicker impact and an assessment of possible impacts upon geological and hydrological features. Volume 2 contains the Site Drawings, Maps and Photomontage Images. Section 1 Non-technical Summary and Project Description RICHARD GAULD BSC (HONS), IENG MINSTMC Section 2 Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment RICHARD GAULD BSC (HONS), IENG MINSTMC Section 3 Ecology Survey PAUL CHAPMAN MA PhD CEnv MIEEM, SAC Section 4 Archaeology Survey DAVID LYNN, BA (HONS), MSC Section 5 Geology, Superficial Deposits and Hydrology GAVIN ELRICK CEnv MIAgrE, SAC Section 6 Environmental Health Impact Assessment RICHARD GAULD BSC (HONS), IENG MINSTMC Section 7 Traffic and Transportation RICHARD GAULD BSC (HONS), IENG MINSTMC Volume 2: Site Drawings, Maps and Photomontage Images OSE/2832 2 Final Report Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project October 2007 Section 1 Non-Technical Summary and Project Description OSE/2832 3 Final Report Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project October 2007 SECTION 1 CONTENTS SUMMARY 5 1 INTRODUCTION 6 2 DEVELOPMENT DESCRIPTION 8 2.1 PROPOSED LOCATION 8 2.2 WIND ASSESSMENT 13 2.3 CARBON EMISSION AVOIDANCE 13 2.4 CONSULTATION AND ALTERNATIVE LOCATIONS 13 2.5 PROJECT DESIGN STATEMENT 15 2.6 WIND TURBINE SELECTION 16 2.7 EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATION 19 2.8 TRANSPORTATION 19 2.9 ROADS AND FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION SUMMARY 19 2.10 WIND TURBINE CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME 20 2.11 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 21 2.12 DECOMMISSIONING 21 3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND PLANNING ISSUES 22 3.1 LOCAL INVOLVEMENT 22 3.2 GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY 22 3.3 NATIONAL PLANNING CONTEXT 22 3.4 STRUCTURE PLAN CONTEXT 23 3.5 ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL LOCAL PLAN 24 3.6 SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS 25 4 SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 27 4.1 VISUAL IMPACT UPON THE LANDSCAPE 28 4.2 ECOLOGICAL IMPACT 35 4.3 POTENTIAL DISTURBANCE TO ARCHAEOLOGY 38 4.4 IMPACT UPON GEOLOGICAL AND HYDROLOGICAL FEATURES 39 4.5 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT DURING CONSTRUCTION 41 4.6 POLLUTION IMPACT DURING CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE 42 4.7 POTENTIAL DISTURBANCE FROM NOISE 42 4.8 POTENTIAL DISTURBANCE FROM SHADOW FLICKER 44 4.9 POTENTIAL RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS INTERFERENCE 44 5 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND PROPOSED MITIGATION 45 5.1 VISUAL IMPACT MITIGATION 45 5.2 ECOLOGICAL IMPACT MITIGATION 45 5.3 POLLUTION AVOIDANCE 46 5.4 MITIGATION OF NOISE DISTURBANCE AND SHADOW FLICKER NUISANCE 47 5.5 CONSTRUCTION AND TRANSPORTATION IMPACT MITIGATION 47 6 CONCLUSIONS 48 7 REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 49 OSE/2832 4 Final Report Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project October 2007 Summary The Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project is a locally owned wind project being developed by a landowner and farmer in the Whiterashes area of Aberdeenshire. Orkney Sustainable Energy have been contracted to design the project on behalf of the farm. It is proposed that a single wind turbine will be installed on land belonging to the farm, between the communities of Whiterashes, Pitmedden and Udny, to the south of Oldmeldrum. The preliminary turbine chosen for the development is the Enercon E70 2MW, manufactured in Germany. The turbine model may change, subject to availability, however for the purposes of this report the E70 has been used to show a typical machine for the development. The electricity generated will be traded to meet the requirements of the Renewables Order (Scotland) 2002. The concept of a locally owned wind energy development was initiated by the farmer concerned. Following consultation with Aberdeenshire Council Planning department, approaches were made to the Community Council, the Ministry of Defence, the Civil Aviation Authority, BAA, National Air Traffic Services, Transco. National Grid, OFCOM and the relevant telecommunications companies. No significant concerns have been raised during preliminary consultation, although the National Grid did indicate that the turbine should be positioned 90m from the two major gas pipelines that traverse the farm. As a result of the various design studies, the wind turbine has been positioned to maximise distances to neighbours to avoid shadow impact and to have minimal noise impact. Visual impact studies have been completed, including a set of high quality photomontages and maps showing zones of visual influence. Ecological impact has been considered, including a habitat survey, a mammal survey, and a breeding bird survey. Detailed assessment on the archaeology of the site and surrounding area has been completed and analysis of the development includes a geological and hydrogeological survey, extensive modelling, a description of the wind turbine, detailed maps of the development and a description of the construction process. It is proposed that a small locally owned wind energy project is feasible for this part of Aberdeenshire, with low impacts upon ecology and the local community. Strong social and economic benefits can be achieved by constructing the wind energy project,. along with the associated climate change benefits resulting from renewable energy production. OSE/2832 5 Final Report Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project October 2007 1 Introduction Aberdeenshire has the potential to become an important area for wind energy development; a number of projects have been proposed for the county, primarily as large scale windfarms on hilltop and forested locations. The Mains of Bogfechel project is an alternative to this pattern of development, and has been designed as a single wind turbine to avoid dominating the landscape, while providing strong economic benefits necessary for the economic security of the local farming community. The project shall also provide a further contribution to the development of clean energy as encompassed within government policy. Orkney Sustainable Energy were approached by the farmer concerned in the spring of 2007, leading to a preliminary design and initial consultation. Once overall turbine heights had been clarified, Defence Estates concluded that they had no significant concerns as the site has had a wind turbine for a number of years, allowing detailed ecological and environmental studies to begin. These studies concluded that a single replacement wind turbine was appropriate for the area, resulting in the detailed design and development of the site. The farmer and landowner at Main of Bogfechel has led the development throughout the process. The Mains of Bogfechel project has been designed around the Enercon E70 2MW wind turbine, however the actual turbine model may alter nearer the time of construction; the site layout and all modelling has used a 58m tower, a 6m hub a 32m blade length. There are 11 and 33 kV electricity transmission lines connecting the communities of Whiterashes, Pitmedden and Udny, with the turbine connected to this system using underground cabling via a switchgear building at the site of the existing derelict wind turbine. The average wind speed in this part of Aberdeenshire is predicted to be between 7.8 and 8.2 metres per second (m/s), compared with 10 m/s predicted at the summits of nearby hilltops. These windspeeds are due to the lower elevation of the site, chosen with the aim of reducing visual effects and avoiding radar impact. Based on manufacturers predictions, a single 2MW wind turbine located on this farm will have a capacity factor of around 31% and produce 5,500 MWh of renewable electricity per annum, equivalent to the domestic requirements of 1200 households, assuming an average consumption of 4,600 kWh per annum. Electricity produced from renewable resources avoids the emission of pollution, and the production of 5,500 MWh of wind electricity is projected to avert the production of around 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum(Carbon Trust). The Mains of Bogfechel project provides a very good contribution towards the Scottish Executive annual carbon reduction targets; http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Climate-Change/. OSE/2832 6 Final Report Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project October 2007 This report is presented in eight sections: Section 1 is a project description of the development, including non technical summaries of the environmental impacts, Section 2 is the landscape and visual impact study, Section 3 is the ecology report completed by the SAC Conservation Services, Section 4 is an archaeology survey, Section 5 is a geology and hydrology report, Section 6 contains the results of noise and shadow flicker assessment, Section 7 describes impact upon the road network and the construction of the site tracks, and Volume 2 of the report contains the site plans and drawings, maps, wireframe images and photomontages. Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Data, Crown Copyright Reserved. License No. 0100031673 Figure 1.1 – Site location and turbine position OSE/2832 7 Final Report Mains of Bogfechel Wind Energy Project October 2007 2 Development description This part of the report describes the activities involved in delivering and constructing the wind energy project.