Scotland: Construction underway at Beinneun wind farm with SgurrEnergy’s technical support

SgurrEnergy is lender’s technical advisor to the project lender, KfW IPEX-Bank, on Beinnuen wind farm which is located in the Scottish Highlands. The technical team has been working on the project since early 2015 and, following financial close, is now providing support to the lender and developer during the construction phase. With the approach of the ROC eligibility deadline on 31 March 2017 and the requirement for the wind farm to be energised by this deadline, SgurrEnergy will be key in supporting the client through construction, helping to ensure the project reaches operation comfortably within targets.

The 108.8MW wind farm will comprise 32 3.4MW Senvion wind turbines, which are expected to generate enough energy to power 59,000 homes.  Developed by Blue Energy, the project is under construction and is expected to be operational in the summer of 2017.

Federico Florian, Team Head of Power Renewables & Water for KfW IPEX-Bank said: “KfW IPEX-Bank is delighted to be engaged in financing the Beinneun Wind Farm, with the support and expertise of SgurrEnergy as lenders technical advisor. We feel very comfortable dealing with them and found their knowledge and quick responsiveness at the upper end of expectations. This is key to meeting tight deadlines at a time where timing for securing financing makes the difference between having a wind farm under the Renewable Obligations regulatory framework and one without it and the consequent risks to that.”

Chris Dean, CEO at Blue Energy, said: “We are delighted to have had the support and expertise of SgurrEnergy, working in collaboration with our other stakeholders, in order to get this important project into construction. This project is a significant milestone in the continued growth of Blue Energy and we look forward to working with SgurrEnergy in the future as we continue to build out our portfolio of onshore wind projects.”

David Banks, senior renewable energy consultant at SgurrEnergy, said: “Given the scale of this project, and its proximity to another sizeable onshore development in the area, there were a number of planning challenges which our team was able to navigate for the client.  This is one of the biggest onshore wind projects to be developed in the UK for a number of years and it’s been a privilege to work again with KfW IPEX-Bank, further cementing our strong relationship as their technical advisor.”

SgurrEnergy has supported a number of European projects for lender KfW IPEX-Bank, including Crook Hill onshore wind farm, Cour onshore wind farm, and the offshore wind farms Butendiek, Nordergrunde, Veja Mate, Nordsee One and Borkum West II.