Scotland approves construction of 90 MW Limekiln Wind Farm

Green energy firms Infinergy and Boralex have received the Scottish Government's decision to grant approval of their wind farm at Limekiln, south of Reay in Caithness.

In order to optimize the financing of this project, Infinergy and Boralex are exploring signing corporate power purchase agreements (PPA).

Located 2.8km South/Southwest of Dounreay Power Station, the proposal consists of 21 turbines and has a grid connection contract in place for 90 MW. Infinergy and Boralex will use the coming months to determine the most suitable turbine for this location, making use of the latest progress in wind turbine technology. Full construction works are envisaged to start in 2021 and we expect the site to be fully operational before the end of 2022. The wind farm will provide sufficient electricity to meet the needs of at least 39,500 homes based on the average generation mix of UK power sources.

Limekiln Wind Farm comes with a community benefit fund of GBP5,000 (US$6,289) per MW of installed capacity, equating to at least GBP315,000 (US$396,227) per year or nearly GBP8 million (US$10 million) over the lifetime of the development (based on 3 MW turbines). In addition, up to 10% of the project will be made available to the local community as a shared ownership opportunity, giving the potential to increase the economic value of the wind farm across Caithness.