Good Practice During Windfarm Construction

Windfarm development in Scotland is accelerating rapidly. The Scottish Government, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) all support the development of renewable energy, including windfarms, as a key means of tackling climate change. 

Considerable experience has been gained during the construction and operation of more than sixty windfarms already operating in Scotland. The purpose of this guidance is to share that experience amongst the industry, planning authorities and those more broadly involved in the planning and development of windfarms. It is focused on pollution prevention, nature conservation, landscape, hydrological and related issues. It is aimed at the post consent, pre-construction planning phase of development.

The guidance can be found here

The information contained in this guidance has been prepared by a joint working group involving Scottish Renewables, SNH, SEPA, FCS and several representatives from companies with extensive windfarm development experience.

Recognising the partnership approach and the efforts of the steering group, the guidance won a Scottish Green Energy Award  in December 2010.

This guidance seeks to identify Good Practice, not necessarily Best Practice, which is evolving constantly.

This guidance is aimed at:

• Windfarm developers
• Construction companies and contractors working on windfarm sites
• Consultants and advisers supporting the windfarm industry
• Planning officers working on windfarm applications
• Statutory consultees such as SNH, SEPA and others with an interest in windfarm construction, and those responsible for the regulation of wind farms under relevant Environmental Protection and Pollution Prevention legislation
• Environmental / Ecological Clerks of Works

Please do not hesitate to contact Kenny Taylor (kenny.taylor@snh.gov.uk) or Brendan Turvey (brendan.turvey@snh.gov.uk) should you have any queries regarding this guidance or would like to make any comments on its content.