Project History
The Lewis Wind Farm project was conceived out of a number of issues confronting the UK and Western Isles in 2001:
- The closure of the Arnish steel fabrication yard situated close to Stornoway, which had been one of the mainstays of the Western Isles economy
- The decline of traditional industries such as fishing and Harris Tweed
- A declining and ageing population
- The desire to harness the outstanding renewable energy resources of wind and wave that exist in the Western Isles
- The need for a cable interconnector to enable the huge renewable energy resource to be transmitted to the UK mainland
- The growing realisation that global warming and security of energy supply were major issues of concern facing the UK
The Lewis Wind Farm Proposal set out to address, in part, all of these issues. The concept of a large wind farm of circa 600MW could provide the following:
- Justify the re-opening of the Arnish facility on the back of an order of around 200 steel towers and the assembly of around 200 turbines
- The creation of construction jobs, steel fabrication jobs and jobs created on the back of annual rents, rates and community payments of £6-£8 million per annum
- The opportunity to arrest the decline in population
- The harnessing of the wind resource, which is unlike gas and oil, an inexhaustible energy supply
- The justification for an interconnector cable to transmit energy from the wind farm and other renewable projects
- A major contribution to energy security and reducing carbon emissions
By siting the wind farm in North Lewis, and especially on the community owned Stornoway Trust Estate, which is home to 50% of the population of the whole of the Western Isles, it has been possible to ensure that the considerable rents and community payments have the maximum distribution. It also means that jobs at Arnish and on the wind farm construction, operation and maintenance are available within the area which supports the majority of the Western Isles population.
More detailed information on the reasons for constructing such a wind farm in the Western Isles can be found within Volume 1 - Summary of Key Points of the 2004 Environmental Statement. This can be found within the Planning Application section of this website or use the link below.
| Document Title | |
|---|---|
| Volume 1 - Summary of Key Points of the 2004 Environmental Statement |  93 KB |