Watchman Energy Park

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.  

Based on the Scoping Layout, the wind farm element of the Watchman Energy Park would be sufficient to power approximately 123,651 homes 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.

The Watchman Energy Park site (the Site) covers an area of approximately 1,440 hectares (ha). The Site is located approximately 7 km south of Elvanfoot, 10 km south of Crawford and 12 km west of Moffat and between the valley of the Daer Water to the north, Daer Reservoir and commercial forestry to the east, open moorland of the Southern Uplands to the south, and further open moorland and commercial forestry, with the A702 road beyond, to the west. The Site is within the administrative boundary of South Lanarkshire Council.  

Why here?

This Site has been selected because:

• it is situated amongst a cluster of operational, proposed and consented wind farms, including the operational Clyde Wind Farm to the northeast and the proposed Daer Wind Farm to the east; 
• it can accommodate a renewable energy development whilst avoiding significant direct effects on areas designated for nature conservation; 
• there is scope to deliver a suitable access to the Site for both construction traffic and abnormal indivisible loads (AIL) whilst avoiding potential for impacts on local road users; 
• it has consistently high anticipated wind speeds, which will deliver excellent wind energy yields; 
• the large-scale character of the landscape in and around the Site can accommodate large modern, commercial wind turbines; and
• it has good access to the electricity transmission network and a grid connection can be achieved in a reasonable timeframe

Several actions have been undertaken to establish the EIA Scoping layout for Watchman Energy Park. This layout has been developed based on preliminary survey information and site planning and environmental constraints. Surveys and site-specific studies that have informed this layout include landscape and visual appraisal, phase 1 peat probing, and ornithological and ecological surveys.

The Scoping layout includes:

• 16 wind turbines up to 240 m in height to blade tip 
• Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), (approximately 50 MW capacity)
• Onsite substation co-located with the BESS
• Construction compound, laydown areas and borrow pits
• Vehicular access from the public road network (route to be confirmed)

The precise location of the substation and co-located BESS is currently under detailed consideration, as is the access route and these will be available for comment later in the pre-application process. Similarly, the positions of the construction compound, laydown areas and borrow pits, alongside internal site access tracks, will be developed as the turbine layout approaches finalisation and in response to further site surveys.

Watchman Energy Park has a contracted grid connection to the Elvanfoot substation approximately 9 km north of the turbine array of the project.  The grid connection to Elvanfoot substation will be subject to a separate consent application by Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN).

The first public consultation event for Watchman will take place on Tuesday 3^rd of December at the following locations.

The event will welcome the local community to speak directly to the project team.  However, feedback on the project, and on the community benefit offer, can also be provided online.  Further details, including the materials to be presented at the public consultation event, will be published here on the date of the consultation event. 

The Watchman project 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.  To support engagement on community benefits, a Small Projects community benefit fund of £5,000 will also been launched to support the use of the AssetFace platform.  The Small Projects fund will offer grants of up to £500 and will be available to support community-led initiatives in the area.  Further details will be published here shortly.

* Under ongoing reforms to how entry of new connections to the national grid is managed, it is expected that the Watchman Project will be able to connect to the grid earlier than the 2036 date currently contracted.

Some key next steps to prepare for a Section 36 consent application submission are: 

• Address comments submitted as part of the public consultation process;
• Carry out further environmental surveys – including more detailed peat surveys and noise monitoring;
• Further develop the turbine layout in response to consultee feedback and environmental sensitivities including:
  • key views from surrounding settlements, landmark hills and transport corridors;
  • the settings of designated cultural heritage assets in the surrounding area;
  • the findings of noise modelling using noise monitoring data;
  • water supply sources;
  • sensitive ecological habitats;
  • watercourses and associated fisheries, riverine mammals and invertebrates; and
  • both breeding and non-breeding birds, including consideration of disturbance and collision risk.
• Finalisation of development proposed including design of track infrastructure layout, selection of borrow pit search areas, confirmation of substation and BESS location, confirmation of access routes, and identification of suitable construction compound locations;
• Detailed assessment of the impact of the final layout of the development on environmental receptors which will be reported in an EIA Report.