Second public meeting over M74 windfarm proposals

The development near Abington is set to consist of 22 turbines plus solar panels and battery energy storage

A second public exhibition and consultation on a proposed 22-turbine wind farm in South Lanarkshire will take place on Wednesday, June 12.

The event at Crawfordjohn village hall will showcase materials for the planned M74 West renewable energy park near Abington, along with updates following feedback from the previous community event in February and “ongoing environmental studies”.

Local residents will also be able to find out about plans for a community benefit fund associated with the development, with a pilot programme of an early fund for small grants of up to £500 being launched on the day through new online engagement site AssetFace.

The development of 200-metre turbines, to be installed over 1450 hectares on either side of the motorway northwest of Abington services, is being worked on by renewables firm Renewco Power.

It will also include solar panels and a battery storage facility, generating around 240 megawatts of power and able to power more than 170,000 homes.

Should planning permission be granted by the end of next year, the current project timeline indicates that construction could start in the first half of 2027 with the windfarm coming into operation by the end of the following year and operating for four decades.

Senior onshore wind developer Maeve Fryday said: “We were pleased to meet so many people at our first event in February, and would encourage anyone with an interest to come along to the public consultation event on June 12 to view the updated proposals.

“We’re looking forward to engaging further with members of the local community regarding our proposals for the M74 West renewable energy park.“The AssetFace pilot also represents an exciting opportunity for members of the public to be more involved in discussions around community benefit, and we are looking forward to sharing more about it in due course.”

The battery energy storage system would connect to the National Grid at Redshaw substation; and Renewco say the planned development “will represent a significant investment in South Lanarkshire”.