Quarry wind power project gets go-ahead

Goathill set to become the first UK quarry to be powered by a wind turbine

A QUARRYING firm in Scotland is set to become the first in the UK to be powered by a commercial scale wind turbine. Fife Council has granted planning consent for a 2MW wind turbine at Goathill Quarry, which is owned by long-running family business – the Collier Group.

The rock quarry was originally the first Greenfield site in recent times to be granted planning permission to extract hard rock in the form of quartz-dolerite, and has now been given the go ahead to generate green energy from wind, further adding to the quarry’s unique status.

The turbine will supply electricity directly to the quarry, providing the business with stable-priced electricity and reduced carbon emissions for the next 25 years. Planning permission was obtained by on-site renewables specialists Wind Direct on behalf of the Collier Group.  Wind Direct will now go on to secure funding, installation and operation of the project.

Construction at the Goathill Quarry site is likely to commence in Autumn 2013, following conclusion of commercial agreements and once the legal agreements and planning conditions have been agreed with Fife Council.

Duncan Collier, owner of the Collier Group said: ‘This wind project forms part of our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment. We already have a recycling centre near Dunfermline and have recently applied for planning permission to operate a waste transfer station, as well as future plans to develop a country park around the site.

‘Wind Direct has done well to ensure that planning permission has been obtained in such a unique environment and we are proud to be flying the flag for our industry when it comes to green energy.’

Eva Gromadzki, general manager at Wind Direct, added: ‘We worked closely with Fife Council and Scottish Natural Heritage to arrive at a project which we felt was sympathetically designed given the sites position within an Area of Great Landscape Value. Placing a turbine adjacent to a working quarry meant that the project was more complicated than usual and we had to be sure the turbine siting wouldn’t interfere with quarry operations.

‘This planning success is testament to Wind Direct’s highly skilled and experienced team who are well versed in dealing with complex scenarios and projects. Goathill Quarry is another first for Wind Direct as we continue to lead the way in UK on-site generation across multiple sectors and a wide range of industries.’