Lewis Wind Power’s project would deliver a series of benefits to Lewis and the wider Western Isles economy.
- Community benefit payments
- Rental payments
- Delivery of the interconnector to the mainland
Community Benefit Payments
The Stornoway Wind Farm would pay £5000 per MW of capacity to a local trust to distribute to projects and initiatives that matter to local people.
Rental Payments
Stornoway Wind Farm would be sited on the Stornoway Trust Estate and pay an annual commercial rent to the Trust for the land required by the project. LWP would also make payments to each of the grazings on which the wind farm would be built, with these subject to approval by the Scottish Land Court.
Delivery of the Interconnector to the Mainland
No further onshore wind development can take place on Lewis as the electricity network is at full capacity. This will continue to be the case unless and until there is a new grid connection with the mainland. However, given the cost of the connection, the interconnector can only be delivered once a solid ‘needs case’ is in place’, and this requires a critical mass of generation to connect within a certain time frame.
Stornoway Wind Farm is the largest of the three consented wind farm projects with a grid connection in place and the UK energy regulator Ofgem has stated that it will support the delivery of a new 450MW cable between Lewis and the mainland if the Stornoway and Uisenis projects are successful in this year's auction for Contracts for Difference.
