Rivox Windfarm will bring local benefits

ADVERTORIAL A PROPOSED windfarm around 5km west of Moffat, could generate £2.8m Gross Value Added for the economy of Dumfries and Galloway every year, for its 40-year lifetime. According to a report prepared by BiGGAR Economics for the Rivox Wind Energy Hub project, the windfarm would also generate some £28.9m Gross Value Added in Dumfries and Galloway during its construction and development. Belltown Power, the UK developers behind the proposal, aim to provide material benefit to the communities that host them, using local supply chain wherever possible to strengthen the local renewable sector. Should Rivox be consented, a wide range of services and suppliers will be required to build and operate it, including construction, drainage and fencing contractors; materials suppliers and building merchants; plant hire and security and local hospitality and accommodation providers. In due course, Belltown will hold a “Meet the Buyer” event for local businesses to meet the project team, so they can discuss opportunities to work together. Local people and businesses would also benefit via the community benefit fund. Belltown have already committed to £5,000 per installed MW. In the case of the proposed Rivox scheme this represents £1,044,000 every year for 40 years, if the wind farm is consented. Based on feedback received from the local community during public consultations, Belltown is proposing to use a significant proportion of the Community Benefit towards electricity discounts to local residents. Belltown will provide material reductions to the annual electricity bills for those residents in the vicinity of the Rivox project. This would still leave around £250,000 a year remaining in the Community Benefit fund to be used for local projects, to ensure a lasting legacy of economic development can be created. [caption id="attachment_51894" align="alignnone" width="680"]

Rivox as would be seen from the Old Carlisle Road in Moffat[/caption] Local economic development would be further supported through the offer of shared ownership. Belltown Power donates one per cent of the ownership of the project to local communities for free and offers the ability to buy an additional four per cent at cost. By providing the local community an opportunity to invest in the project, the returns generated from the proposed development would further support local ambitions. Next month, Belltown Power plans to meet with representatives from the communities closest to the proposed wind farm – Moffat and Beattock - to discuss the finer details of the proposed community benefit offering. Speaking about the project and specifically the economic impact assessment, Rivox’s project manager Peter Thomas said: “Our project could make a significant contribution to the region’s – and Scotland's - economic strategy, which is now being driven by climate change commitments. “Based on the range of local economic and social benefits and the commitments we’ve made, we’re confident that the Rivox Wind Energy Hub will generate economic impact regionally and nationally while driving the delivery of a more sustainable economy. ”The feedback we received from two public consultations last year was reassuringly positive: just over half (52 per cent) of local people thought the proposed site was suitable for a windfarm and 56 per cent support onshore wind more generally.” The Rivox Wind Energy Hub proposal was submitted to Scottish Government’s Energy Consents unit in August 2023. It will be determined by Scottish Ministers.

• Above image: the expected view of Rivox from Moffat Golf Course