Scottish Lib Dem conference backs plans to deliver community benefit from wind farms
The Scottish Liberal Democrat spring conference in Dundee has backed plans that would see communities gain a higher share of Scotland’s vast renewable energy wealth by reforming the way in which community benefit is paid by wind farm developers.
The motion called for the Scottish Government to implement new guidance to developers to state that five per cent of the gross revenue of new wind farm developments should be paid to community benefit funds and increase the number of communities around new developments which receive shares of community benefit funds, to limit the wealth disparity amongst rural communities.
It also calls for the UK Government to enshrine community benefit rights in law, to ensure that communities surrounding Scottish windfarms have a statutory right to benefit from local renewable energy development.
Angus MacDonald, candidate for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, who proposed the motion, said: “At the moment any contribution from developers to the community is entirely voluntary.
"Rural communities have missed out on a fortune.
“Over the past decade, the wholesale price of electricity has soared but benefits for the communities have not, with little of that windfall actually trickling down to those who have the downside of living near windfarms.
“What a difference it would make to our communities in the Borders or Highlands if they had their own equivalent of the Norwegian Petroleum Fund.
“With this money community leaders could give locals substantial financial help with fuel bills, they could build affordable homes, they could fund things like their local swimming pools, playgrounds and community halls.
“By backing this motion, Scottish Liberal Democrats have demonstrated that we will fight for our most rural and vulnerable communities, ensuring that they benefit from the developments on their doorstep.”
The Scottish Lib Dems have said that the Scottish Government proposed a voluntary £5,000 (plus inflationary increases) per year per installed megawatt for the community in 2014.
They have said this has broadly been followed, although some wind farm developers do not actually contribute anything.
In 2014 wholesale electricity was £35per mwh, last summer it reached 10 time that at around £363pmwh.
Under the proposals put forward by Scottish Liberal Democrats, a newly constructed 12 turbine wind farm with 2.3MW turbines would pay £670,000 per year to the wider community, up from £138,000 per year.
