By Gary Cooper

CONSTRUCTION OF turbines for the first wind farm in Angus could be under way by next summer, developers revealed yesterday.

Renewable Energy Systems (RES) said winning planning permission for a cluster of eight towers on Ark Hill, overlooking Glamis, meant it was now able to increase efforts to bring the controversial scheme to fruition.

But the firm has been hit by what it calls an under-supply of turbines in the world market, which could have an impact on its hoped-for timetable

Scottish development manager Ray Hunter said, “Our ability to deliver the project will depend on our ability to secure the machines. We are in discussion with suppliers on this and are reviewing the turbine options.”

He is refusing to let the potential pitfalls on the supply side stand in the way of the scheme’s progress.

“The aim, now we have our consent, is to get the wagons rolling to get ready for construction as soon as possible,” Mr Hunter continued.

“By this time next year, we would hope to be well under way with construction.”

It is one of a number of major matters which have to be tackled by the company as it moves into the detailed engineering phase.

One it has chalked off its list is connection to the electricity grid, which has been negotiated and could be hooked up by the middle of next year.

Work ahead for the project team includes fulfilling pre-construction planning conditions, imposed when RES won approval for turbines of up to 1.3 megawatts, following a six-hour meeting in Forfar last month.

This covers specific engineering work involved in the development and protection schemes to safeguard the environmental interest of the site before RES takes possession of it.

Mr Hunter said before the turbines appear there is at least six months of work needed to put the necessary infrastructure in place. A small quarry will have to be opened up on Ark Hill to provide road stone for a track network, underground cables must be laid, a control building and sub-station built and the foundations for each structure put in, in parallel with the grid connection.

“The turbines are pretty much in at the last-minute,” Mr Hunter said. “We would hope to be erecting two a week, with all eight up and commissioned in the course of a month.”

The development chief estimates around 100 lorry loads of concrete will be required for the foundations of the power-generating structures and 30 large-load movements to get the turbines on site.

Towers will arrive in two sections. The longest load being transported are the blades, up to 31 metres long.

Once they start turning, Mr Hunter said the development will produce enough power to meet the yearly domestic electricity needs of a town the size of Forfar.

RES said it will take four months of operation for the scheme to pay back the energy which went into creating it. Mr Hunter added, “After that, we have got 25 years of clean-energy production.”