Introduction
Ravengill Energy Park Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Glasgow based renewable energy developer Renewco Power Limited, is bringing forward a new renewable energy development at a site north and east of the village of Leadhills in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The project is called Ravengill Energy Park (Ravengill) and will include up to 32 wind turbines and a battery energy storage system (BESS). The proposed development will have a total installed capacity of approximately 274 MW.
A request for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Opinion from Scottish Minsters is being prepared for submission. This seeks a view from Scottish Ministers, with input from relevant authorities, on which environmental issues should be addressed in the EIA which will guide the ongoing development of the project. The findings of the EIA will be reported in an EIA Report which will form part of the Section 36 application for development consent. The EIA process ensures key environmental factors which must be considered during the planning process are identified and creates opportunities to avoid or mitigate potentially significant environmental effects through the design of the project where possible.
Renewco Power is committed to effective consultation with the local community and will be hosting a number of consultation events seeking feedback on the emerging project details in the coming months.
Location
The Ravengill site extends over an area of approximately 3789 ha, west, north and east of Leadhills and approximately 1 km southwest of Abington, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The site is centred around co-ordinates 291165 E and 618354 N.
Why here?
· The site is situated close to operational and proposed wind farm developments
· The site can accommodate a renewable energy development whilst avoiding significant direct effects on areas designated for nature conservation.
· The site has very good anticipated wind speeds.
· The site has very good access to the electricity transmission network.
· The site is located close to a concentration of infrastructure along the M74 corridor, providing access for both normal construction traffic and abnormal loads.
Layout Development
Initial consultation with stakeholders on the Ravengill Energy Park took place in mid 2024 based on approximately thirty turbines along with up to 125 MW of ground mounted solar panels and an approximately 50 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Ravengill has progressed significantly since this point to arrive at the current Scoping layout. The Scoping layout incudes amendments to the redline planning boundary to incorporate additional land to the south east, and changes to the proposed turbine layout to take account of survey work and analysis including peat surveys, habitat surveys, bird surveys, access surveys and an analysis of risks posed by historic mining activity. The below summarises the changes that have been made since this initial early consultation:
Public Consultation
The first public consultation events for Ravengill will take place on Tuesday 20th of May and Wednesday 21st of May at the following locations:
20th May | 3pm - 7pm | Leadhills Hall (35 Ramsay Rd, Leadhills, ML12 6YA)
21st May | 3pm - 7pm | Crawfordjohn Hall (Manse Rd, Crawfordjohn, ML12 6SR)
Members of the public are encouraged to attend the events to find out more, ask questions of the project team and provide feedback.
The consultation materials and a link to an online feedback form will also be published here on the date of the first event.
Indicative Development Timescale
20-21 May
Public Consultation Event 1
Ongoing to Q4 2025
EIA work and associated further studies
Ongoing to Q4 2025
Progress the design
Q3 2025
Develop the details of the Community Benefits package
Q4 2025
Public Consultation event 2
Q1 2026
Submission of S36 application (including EIA Report
Why is this project needed?
The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, which amends the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, sets targets to reduce Scotland’s emissions of all greenhouse gases to net zero by 2045 at the latest. Significant additional renewable energy capacity, over and above what is produced today, will be needed to facilitate the decarbonisation of transport and heating as Scotland transitions to net zero.
The wind farm element of the Ravengill project will be sufficient to power approximately 231,846 homes[1] and will have a significant role in helping the Scottish and UK governments to meet their emissions reduction and net zero commitments. The BESS will also help balance electricity supply and demand on the National Grid.
[1] Calculated using RenewableUK’s methodology. Assumed capacity factor of 38.1% is taken from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) CFD Terms and Regulations Document. Average household consumption of 3.239 kWh is from DESNZ’s latest statistics.
Community Benefit
Ravengill will provide a range of benefits for the local community, including a fund which will deliver direct investment into community projects and initiatives. The fund will reflect Scottish Government best practice guidance and will provide a minimum of £5,000 per MW of installed capacity of wind energy.
In addition to our in-person meetings and events, there will be an opportunity to provide feedback on community benefits via BizGive’s new AssetFace engagement platform. AssetFace will make engagement on community benefits quicker, easier, more collaborative and transparent. A Small Projects community benefit fund of £5,000 will also been launched to support the use of the AssetFace platform. Grants of up to £500 will be available to support a range of local initiatives in the area.
If you would like to get in touch with us in relation to Ravengill please email: ravengill@renewcopower.com
Get in touch
We are interested in engaging with wind and solar asset owners, land-owners, developers and funders.