Income from a 900kW community-owned wind turbine in the Outer Hebrides will help fund community projects on the islands of Barra and Vatersay.
Located in Eoligarry in the north-west tip of Barra, the £2.45million wind project, owned by a subsidiary of Coimhearsnachd Bharraidh agus Bhatarsaidh (Barra and Vatersay Community) Ltd, has taken just over eight years to get up and running.
The body, which aims to support community development on Barra and Vatersay, originally set the ball rolling for the project back in 2005.
The project was financed with a £1.85million loan from Triodos Bank; a £300,000 loan from the Renewable Energy Investment Fund, which is administered by Scottish Enterprise, and £120,000 from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Loan Scheme (CARES).
Transporting the kit to the remote location proved quite the challenge, and turbines and cranes were transported to the site via a barge from the main town of Castlebay in Barra.
Tina MacNeil, from Barra and Vatersay Community Ltd, says the body is planning to set up a grant system for islanders, offering a range of grants from small £1,000 payouts to larger grants decided by a panel from the body.
“There has also been community economic benefit from having teams of workers living in accommodation on the island for lengths of time. And the project has also employed a project officer while in development and will provide some employment once running,” says MacNeil.
She says green energy schemes offer rural communities a source of income they wouldn’t necessarily have access to otherwise.
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