'No objections' to solar farm at Milltown Airfield

MORAY Council has ‘no objections’ to the development of a solar farm at Milltown Airfield.

The application, made by Elgin Energy Limited for a period of 30 years, is being considered by the Energy Consents Unit of the Scottish Government who will make the final decision on whether the development will be permitted on the 114-hectare site at the former wartime airfield. The airfield was in use up until the 1970s.

The proposed installation of approximately 200,000 solar panels would cover the majority of the site. It’s anticipated that between 50 and 100 MW of electricity could be generated by the panels, which are 1x2m in size, and situated off the ground to allow for sheep grazing.

One primary substation will be located on site, in addition to 43-50 inverter stations, as well as CCTV cameras for surveillance purposes.

No trees, woodland or hedges are being removed from the site and the proposals include some additional landscaping, including the planting of trees and hedges.

A number of conditions have been proposed by the Council, should it be approved by government, including the decommissioning of the equipment and the site restored after the 30 year permission expires.

Chair of Moray Council’s Planning & Regulatory Services Committee, Cllr Marc Macrae, said the development presented an exciting opportunity for Moray.

“Having already given the green light for a solar farm near Urquhart earlier this year, I’m pleased that we were able to confirm to the Scottish Government that we have no objection to this latest renewable energy project on our doorstep.”

Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live. Nestling between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands, Moray stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Brodie Castle in the west.