A COMMUNITY collective strengthened its ranks last month as it continues its campaign to keep more renewable energy profits in local hands.
Cowal Community Energy, (CCE), welcomed new members Lochgoil Community Trust, Strachur and District Community Development Company, and Tighnabruaich and District Development Trust to their ranks.
Their arrival takes CCE to eight member organisations out of 10 eligible development trust areas in Cowal, sharpening the coalition’s campaign to ensure income from renewables comes back to our communities.
CCE is a community-led alliance of development trusts focused on securing a fairer community share from local wind, hydro and other green projects—so that more of the benefits stay in Cowal for Cowal communities.
Peter Roy, chair of Strachur and District Community Development Company said: “We are delighted to join the other members of CCE in working together to bring the maximum benefits to Cowal, in the expectation of long-term transformational benefits to our communities.”
Welcoming the new members, Graeme Murray, chair of CCE, said: “CCE now represents the great majority of Cowal’s area and population and we hope the remainder of Cowal will also join us in our efforts to ensure that if any new renewable energy projects are developed, the community will have a real say in how those projects will develop and benefit their locality, ensuring the maximum possible share of profits from wind farms will remain within Cowal for the long term.”
Since the initial rejection from Forestry and Land Scotland of the community bid to own the whole of the re-powered Cruach Mhor wind farm, CCE has worked alongside Community Energy Scotland and other supporting organisations to find an alternative approach to ensure that the largest possible proportion of the profits from the wind farm are retained in Cowal through Community Shared Ownership.
Subject to the approval of the community in Colintraive and Glendaruel, CCE will engage with the new developer, Belltown Power, with the aim of securing the maximum community share in order to meet the aspirations of the Colintraive and Gendaruel community as well as those of Cowal as a whole.
CCE will also be having ongoing discussions with Statkraft, the developer of Dunoon’s proposed Giant’s Burn Windfarm (50.4 MW), on community shared ownership in the event that planning permission is granted for this development, and they anticipate agreeing initial
terms over the coming months. While these projects will take several years to come to fruition, CCE is in for the long haul and committed to retaining the maximum possible long term financial benefits for Cowal for any investments and developments which occur in Cowal. CCE say that it is vitally important to be engaging now so as not to miss out on this opportunity.
Alan Stewart, a Director of CCE said: “It is important to note that CCE neither supports nor opposes any of the new wind farms being proposed for Cowal. Our view is that the decision as to whether or not they go ahead will ultimately be taken through the planning process. Our sole aim and focus is on making sure that Cowal receives the maximum possible social and economic benefit from any proposal that might get consented. To achieve that, we need to start our work now.”
With major renewable developments already operational and more proposed, the stakes for local communities continue to grow. The success of CCE’s shared ownership negotiations could determine whether millions of pounds in profits flow out of the area or remain in Cowal to fund lasting projects to benefit its communities.
Cowal Community Energy is also delighted to announce the launch of its new website: cowalcommunityenergy.org.
The website will serve as a central hub for information about the organisation, its members, and ongoing projects. Visitors can learn more about the group’s mission, explore the latest news, and stay up to date on current negotiations and developments.
Dinah MacDonald, a director of CCE, said: “Our website is an important step in making our work visible and accessible. We want to keep our community fully informed and engaged as we move forward with any projects that can deliver real benefits for Cowal.”
