Rogart and Lairg community councils at odds over wind farm funding
Two Sutherland community councils are at odds over how much funding each should receive from a wind farm that has been approved but is yet to be built.
Rogart Community Council chairman Frank Roach told the group’s meeting earlier this month that discussions had taken place with Lairg about how to share the funding from Chleansaid Wind Farm, but no agreement had been reached.
ESB Energy, the state- owned electricity company based in Ireland, was granted consent by the Scottish Government in December 2023 to build the 16-turbine, 96MW project on a site on Dalnessie Estate, north-east of Lairg. The turbines will be up to 200m high.
Highland Council had previously decided not to object to Chleansaid.
ESB has said it will set up a community benefit fund worth £5,000 per installed MW, amounting to up to £500,000 per year over the 35-year life of the wind farm.
Mr Roach said Rogart had proposed a 70:30 split of the funding in its favour because the wind farm was entirely within the Rogart Community Council area.
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But he said: “Lairg do not like that 70:30 split, so we are going to have some interesting discussions.
“The developers will be up (in the area) at the end of April and we will probably have a meetingr with them and members of Lairg Community Council then.”
Community councillor Jonathan Hedges said Lairg’s view seemed to be that it should get a greater share because it had supported the Cheleansaid application while Rogart had opposed it, as had Golspie Community Council.
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ESB has said that construction work on Chleansaid will start this year and that community meetings will be held before work begins.
Mr Roach said construction work would result in up to 186 HGVs a day passing through Rogart and up to 200 abnormal loads. Rogart objected to Chleansaid on traffic grounds.
