Wind farm developers say sorry in advance for Wick traffic delays
The developers of a new wind farm near Wick have apologised in advance for any traffic hold-ups while turbine parts are being transported through the town.
Components for the Camster II project are being shipped to Wick harbour and deliveries to the site will be taking place until the end of July, according to RWE.
The renewable energy company was given the go-ahead for Camster II in July 2021 after an appeal to the Scottish Government was upheld.
Ten turbines are being built at a site some 2000 metres north-west of Tannach Hill. The turbines will have a tip height of 126.5 metres, apart from one which is marginally smaller.
The site is close to RWE’s existing Camster Wind Farm which has 25 turbines.
When completed, Camster II will be capable of producing up to 36MW of electricity.
A spokesperson for RWE said: “As there is minimal storage space at the harbour, once offloaded, the deliveries will proceed directly to the site. We expect most of the deliveries to be completed by July 31.
“Due to the sizeable load of the deliveries, some alterations have been made at certain points along the route to enable the components to pass through.
“The convoy will begin at Wick harbour, travelling up Martha Terrace and River Street. It will then cross over the roundabout onto Station Road, following around onto Bankhead.
“A right turn will then be made onto the A882 Thurso Road, continuing for a short distance before turning left onto the site.
“At all times, the convoy will be accompanied by support vehicles from the delivery partner and Police Scotland.
“Police Scotland vehicles will ensure local traffic is held in place at key points along the delivery route, allowing the convoy to pass safely.
“We realise that any deliveries will affect the surrounding community. We apologise in advance for any potential delays that you may encounter on the delivery days, and we hope that this is only temporary.”
The route takes in the corner site where Bankhead Cottage was demolished to allow easier access for turbine components, leading to concerns over the hindrance to motorists, ambulances and pedestrians caused by the associated roadworks.
On community benefit, the spokesperson said: “RWE is committed to supporting the communities that neighbour our wind farms. In 2023 alone, RWE’s three operational wind farms in Caithness collectively invested £371,887 into local projects.
“Camster Wind Farm already has an operational community fund, administered by Foundation Scotland, with all decisions on the allocation of funding made by a panel of local people.
“Camster II Wind Farm, once operational, will bring with it a further £180,000 of community funding each year. During the wind farm’s construction period, our community investment manager will work with local stakeholders to understand the best way to structure the new fund to maximise the benefit to local communities.”
RWE’s planning application for Camster II was turned down by Highland Council in January 2021, with the local authority ruling that the wind farm “would have a significantly detrimental visual impact”. The company appealed to the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division and consent was granted in July that year.
The council had warned that Camster II would be within “close proximity” to existing wind farms, “creating a substantial array of turbines”.
Keith Bray, the reporter appointed by Scottish ministers, found that the development would “have a logical scale in relation to the landscape and would not be out of scale with the existing turbines.”
