The 11 turbine site was consented in December 2021 and located in Caithness near to the existing project Strathy North. When built the site will produce a total of 63MW, powering approximately 68,000 homes*.

Status: Consented

^{*Calculated using average household electricity consumption (3,509kWh) (source: ofgem).}

We are currently in the process of optimising the project and working through planning conditions in advance of expected construction in mid-2024.

Since launching its proposals, RWE has worked closely with the community and undertaken extensive consultation to understand local concerns. RWE will continue to liaise with them via the Community Liaison Group for the next stage of this project.

Our planning application was effectively put on hold, while the ECU decided on the outcome of the Strathy South Wind Farm which is next to our development. Our survey work didn’t stop and we continued to fine-tune our plans. A lot has changed over the last four years, including the energy market and the technology available to wind farms and we want Strathy Wood to reflect that.

Advances in technology mean we can now reduce the number of turbines further down to 13, while actually increasing the total generating capacity to 62.4MW. Providing more clean, renewable energy to more homes and businesses, with even less impact on the landscape and wildlife.

To make Strathy Wood as efficient as possible we need to increase each turbine up to 180m to its tip, with a rotor diameter of up to 137m. this will give each turbine a generating capacity of 4.8MW. We’ve selected the proposed tip height very carefully, based on Scottish Government policy and best practice in the wind energy sector.

In November 2013, we applied to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU) for planning permission to build Strathy Wood Wind Farm, near Strathy in Sutherland. Our original plan included up to 26 wind turbines, 145 metres (m) high to their tip, with a total generating capacity of up to 78 megawatts (MW).

Strathy Wood has been shaped by local people and organisations from the very start. Working closely with key stakeholders, we carried out a range of environmental surveys to minimise the impact of the wind farm on the landscape and wildlife. We submitted our Further Environmental Information (FEI) in 2015. As part of this, we reduced the number of turbines down to 18 with a total generating capacity of 59.4MW.

* The picture on top is an example of Bowbeat Onshore Wind Farm *