Communities offered stake in new wind farm project

Renewable energy developer, Galileo, and ALIenergy are giving Oban and Lorn communities the chance to take a financial stake in Corr Chnoc Wind Farm.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has now been signed between Galileo and ALIenergy, seeking to deliver a financial vehicle that will allow the community to gain shared ownership of the wind farm. ALIenergy will lead in the development of the shared ownership scheme giving local communities the opportunity to take up to 10% stake in the windfarm.

The proposed 12-turbine scheme is located on land at Dunach Estate. Situated approximately 2km northeast of Kilmore and 5km east of the centre of Oban, Corr Chnoc Wind Farm will have a total generating capacity of up to 75 megawatts (MW). It will be supported by a battery energy storage system (BESS), with a storage capacity of up to 30MW.

Dr Lynda Mitchell, CEO of ALIenergy, said:

“Shared ownership provides a tremendous opportunity for local communities to benefit from renewable energy developments, delivering everything from education initiatives, to addressing fuel poverty, and art and environmental programmes.

“These are projects that are not only important for the immediate future, but for the next generation too. Moreover, projects with a form of shared ownership are typically more closely bound to the local community where they operate.”

ALIenergy, a sustainable energy charity based in Oban, worked to develop the project alongside Europe-wide renewables firm Galileo. The project will produce up to 75MW of energy, and an on-site battery storage bank will be able to hold 30MW of power.

It will contribute to the Scottish Government's goal of having 2GW of community and locally owned energy by 2030 and a community wealth fund will also be established, investing £15m into the community around the development over its lifetime. Some of this will go towards reducing energy bills for households nearest to the project site.

Cris Thacker, communications manager for Galileo, said: 

“We are delighted to have signed this MoU with ALIenergy. Shared ownership of the wind farm will give the local community an incredible opportunity to deliver a sustainable income stream over which they have full control.

“We are keen to ensure that the local communities in which we operate benefit from our renewable energy projects and have held positive discussions with the local community councils.”