Community / Government proposes to increase community benefit for wind projects by 20 per cent to £6,000 per megawatt
THE SCOTTISH Government is proposing to increase community benefit for onshore wind project by 20 per cent from the current £5,000 per installed megawatt to £6,000 per year.
The payments made by energy developers to local communities will continue to be voluntary under the latest proposals, with no statutory requirement.
The government has also recommended community benefit payments of between £700 and £1,000 per installed MW for solar projects, and £150 per MW per year for battery energy storage projects.
The recommendations for onshore projects, published today (Wednesday) following a consultation process with industry and communities, fall somewhat short of what is widely seen of a required minimum standard.
Communities and local authorities in the areas affected by large scale wind energy project have lobbied for at least £7,500 per MW per year as a legally required amount to be paid to local communities.
The Liberal Democrats and others have even floated community benefit levels of £12,000 per MW per year.
The Shetland Community Benefit Fund receives more than £2.2 million a year from the 103-turbine Viking wind farm, based on £5,000 per MW per year.
However, earlier this week The Ferret revealed that 21 wind farms completed between 2015 and 2025 pay significantly less than the voluntary £5,000 benchmark.
Communities across Scotland are out of pocket to the tune of £50 million over the lifetime of energy projects, they said.
However, the Scottish Government said on Wednesday that around £30 million was provided in community benefits across Scotland last year.
This figure is expected to further increase over the next decade as Scotland’s renewables transition progresses.
Energy secretary Gillian Martin said: “For more than ten years, Scotland has led the way in establishing the provision of community benefits as a common and expected practice across our renewables sector.
“The updated proposals outlined today seek to strike a balanced approach to future fund levels which continue to serve communities well while reflecting the market challenges for developers over recent years.
“We will continue to engage with communities and the energy sector to help refine these proposals ahead of developing our final updated Good Practice Principles later this year.”
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