Industry welcomes consent for UK’s largest wind farm

Today’s announcement of the decision to grant planning permission to what will be the largest onshore wind farm in the UK has been warmly welcomed by the industry association, BWEA. The Crystal Rig extension will see a further 52 turbines totalling up to 164 megawatts (MW) join the existing wind farm in the Scottish Borders. Speaking as he announced the consent, Deputy Enterprise Minister Allan Wilson said: “The extension at Crystal Rig is good news for our renewables sector, and followed a lengthy consultation process designed to ensure that it does not come at an unacceptable cost to the surrounding environment. Today’s announcement will not only deliver clear environmental benefits, cutting carbon emissions and combating climate change, but is also a step towards securing Scotland’s position as a world leader in the renewable energy technology sector.”

At 164 MW, Crystal Rig tops the list of onshore wind farms in the UK, making it the largest and most powerful development in the country. This is one of the results available from a new product, launched today by the industry association. UKWED – the UK Wind Energy Database – is the definitive list of all wind energy projects, whether already powering homes, under construction, consented or in planning. BWEA’s database is the result of over a year of development, and will allow the industry body, its members and the public alike to have up to the minute statistical analyses of the progress of the sector.

Today’s approval comes in a record year of growth and consents, says the industry association. Chief Executive Marcus Rand commented: “Today’s announcement takes us an important step closer to meeting our 2010 renewable and climate change targets. The wind industry in the UK has now firmly arrived and is growing at a record rate. This year alone, consents for over 500 MW have been awarded, and more than 800 MW of new wind projects, both on and offshore, are under construction. In 2006, the industry is set to grow at an even faster rate as we become the world leader in offshore wind development.” The recent progress in the sector was cause for celebration in June when the UK achieved the landmark of over 1000 MW of wind capacity installed (see press release). Breaking the gigawatt barrier was a significant step for the UK’s dynamic wind industry, making it one of only eight countries around the world to have done so, and firmly demonstrating that wind power in the UK is now mainstream.