Scottish Wind Market: PNE Group Sells Wind Farm in Sallachy, Scotland
Münster, Germany - In addition to offshore wind energy, the development of onshore wind energy is a central pillar in the expansion of renewable energies in Scotland. The renewable project developer PNE, which has been active on the Scottish wind market for many years, is also benefiting from this.
Sallachy wind farm: Local authorities benefit from community fees of up to GBP 6.5 million (euro 7.8 million)
The PNE Group has sold the Sallachy wind farm in Scotland with a nominal output of approx. 43 MW to the Canadian project developer and renewable energy producer Boralex. The wind farm is located in Sutherland in the north of the Scottish Highlands. The project has already reached a high stage of development. The wind farm has been approved with a capacity of up to 50 MW, the grid connection is in place and the land for the wind farm has been secured. The construction of nine wind turbines is planned.
The project was unanimously approved by the responsible Highland Council in April 2022 after it met with great public approval. Local communities will benefit from up to GBP 6.5 million (approx. EUR 7.8 million) in council tax over the lifetime of the project.
“We are delighted that we have now found a buyer for the Sallachy wind farm in Boralex, for whom the generation of electricity from renewable energies and climate protection are just as important as they are for us,” said Per Hornung Pedersen, CEO of PNE AG, welcoming the transaction. “It has taken more than 10 years from the initial idea to the current sale. It's great that this long commitment is now leading to success, and that Sallachy Wind farm will now be built and operating by 2028,” adds PNE COO Roland Stanze.
Renewable electricity generation capacity in Scotland at 15,300 MW by the end of 2023
Scotland's capacity for electricity generation from renewable energies has increased significantly over the last ten years. By the end of 2023, the renewable plant portfolio had reached around 15,300 MW, which corresponds to an increase of around 10 percent compared to the previous year (2022: 13,900 MW). The technologies with the largest capacity growth in 2023 were offshore wind farms with a capacity of 818 MW and onshore wind turbines with 510 MW.
According to the Scottish Government, there were also 517 renewable electricity generation projects in the planning pipeline at the end of December 2023 with a potential estimated capacity of 25,900 MW (25.9 GW). Of this capacity, around 3,300 MW was under construction and almost 7,700 MW was in preparation for construction. Applications had been submitted for projects with a capacity of around 14,900 MW. The majority of the capacity in the project pipeline is attributable to offshore and onshore wind projects.
Scotland is working on readjusting its climate targets
Scotland is currently still subject to the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, which sets out ambitious emissions targets, including a 75% reduction by 2030 and greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. However, according to the Scottish Government, it has since become clear that the targets set out in the old legislation cannot be achieved with realistic measures.
The government is therefore currently working on a readjustment of Scottish climate policy. The draft amendment to the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill was introduced on September 5, 2024 and is currently in the first stage of legislation. Yesterday (October 10, 2024) the opening debate of the first stage took place in the Scottish Parliament.
A key change to climate policy under the Bill will be a system change, moving away from linear annual targets to a system of five-year carbon budgets. This will set an upper limit on the amount of greenhouse gases that Scotland is allowed to emit over a five-year period. An annual reporting cycle will be maintained to monitor emissions trends and progress. The Scottish Government will retain the target set in the old climate legislation of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality in Scotland by 2045 (net zero emissions target year).
Source: IWR Online, 11 Oct 2024