Damside
Infinis has identified a potential wind farm site located 1.35km East of Allanton and 2km South of Shotts. The proposed site lies within the boundary of the former Damside Surface Coal Mine. Extraction was completed in 2001 and the site has since undergone partial restoration. The eastern part of the site has been restored to rough grazing and woodland. The Western area of the site is occupied by agricultural and forestry land.
Damside was initially selected by Infinis as a suitable wind farm site following a robust assessment of the site and subsequently entering into an agreement with Scottish Resources Group (SRG) the owners of the site. Key criteria of the assessment were proximity to grid, lack of international or national designations on site and proximity to residential properties and landscape & visual.
Since the initial identification of the site, Infinis has undertaken extensive ornithological and ecological surveys and installed an anemometer mast on the site in July 2011. The wind monitoring mast will allow us to assess and understand the wind regime on the site and will assist with designing the layout of the proposed wind farm.
A scoping report for a sixteen-turbine development was submitted to North Lanarkshire Council in March 2011. Since then we have reduced the proposed wind farm to eight turbines at 125m to tip height based on landscape & visual, noise and ground conditions.
Infinis met with the local community and our first public exhibition was held at Shotts Community Centre on the 16th and 17th of February 2012.
It is expected that the planning application will be submitted in late Spring 2012. The turbine choice has not been confirmed but the generating capacity of the wind farm is likely to be between 18.4MW and 20MW.
The scoping report, which includes the site location and the initial wind farm layout, can be accessed here. Additional information and documentation will also be uploaded as it becomes available.
If you are interested in getting involved with the project, whether as a supporter or a potential contractor in the development of Damside wind farm, you can contact us at damsidewindfarm@infinis.com. Alternatively our general contact details can be found above
