A north-east community-owned wind turbine is now up and running after passing the final commissioning tests.
Greenmyres Renewable Energy, the wholly-owned trading subsidiary of Huntly and District Development Trust (HDDT), announced the commissioning at Greenmyres, Drumblade, Huntly on Friday November, 25.
Chairman of Greenmyres Renewable Energy Richard Hammock said: “After six years of effort, commissioning marks a major milestone for the project and the community of Huntly and District. It’s been a rollercoaster of a journey and our emotions at this point are a mix of happiness, pride and relief.
“The benefits that this project will bring to the area over the next 20 years will be huge. Our next plan is to offer the community the chance to buy shares in the turbine so watch out for more information in the New Year.”
The Enercon E48 turbine is located at Greenmyres Farm four miles South East of Huntly. The site was chosen to make the turbine appear as a visual extension to nearby operational Dummuies wind farm.
During the project’s development HDDT was able to acquire Greenmyres, largely with the help of a £500,000 grant from the Scottish Land Fund and £2million of funding from the Clydesdale bank.
Adam Heslop, Senior Director Renewable Energy at Clydesdale Bank said:
“Clydesdale Bank is delighted to see this major project milestone reached. We are very proud to be supporting this community-led project and look forward to seeing the many benefits it will bring to the local area in the years ahead.”
The turbine is expected to annually produce enough energy for the equivalent of 300 Aberdeenshire homes every year whilst generating income in the region of £2.5million over its 20-year lifetime for community-based projects.
Rob Halliday, Lead Fund Manager with Social Investment Scotland (SIS) said:
“Greenmyres It is a fantastic example of a wholly owned community wind farm. The turbine will generate a significant on-going cash flow for (HDDT) helping underpin its activities for years to come. The funding committed was from the Social Growth Fund, a fund that SIS manages on behalf of Big Society Capital and the Scottish Government.”
To register interest in buying shares go to: www.huntlydevelopmenttrust.org/greenmyresshares