Chance for community renewables – but hurry

A call has gone out from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar for community groups in the islands to bring forward their plans for new renewable energy generation projects.
By Peter Urpeth
Published 18th Feb 2023, 13:27 BST
With spare capacity on the transmission link, it is hoped others can follow the example of Galson and establish community schemes.With spare capacity on the transmission link, it is hoped others can follow the example of Galson and establish community schemes.
With spare capacity on the transmission link, it is hoped others can follow the example of Galson and establish community schemes.

The move comes after it was confirmed that the new transmission link connecting Lewis to the mainland has spare capacity which could now enable community projects to connect to the grid.

The new transmission link will have a capacity of 1.8GW, and 325mw of that could be available to community projects.

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The call made a meeting of the Comhairle’s Sustainable Development Committee came with a warning that regulations do not currently permit that capacity to be ring-fenced for community use, and it could therefore be claimed by commercial generators on a first-come-first-served basis.

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But the Comhairle has raised the issue with Ofgem to see if there could be a way for the spare capacity to be protected for local community projects.

The Comhairle’s Depute Chief Executive, Calum Iain MacIver said that he was not aware of any community projects coming forward with new scheme.

“It would be good to see community groups coming forward,” he said. “There is now an opportunity here, if there are communities out there now is the time to bring those projects forward.”

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Councillor Angus McCormack, a long-term supporter of community renewable energy projects, said it was “very good” to “hear that message coming forward.”

A spokesperson for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar commented: “Over the years there have been many community groups who have expressed an interest in developing a renewable energy project. They were stymied, however, by a lack of grid capacity – both the transmission and distribution networks are at full capacity.

“Many did not feel it appropriate for them to begin spending the tens of thousands of pounds required on the environmental studies, other pre-planning works and planning itself if there was no prospect of their project being developed and built-out due to a lack of grid.

“With the prospect of a new interconnector now a reality (albeit circa 2029/2030) there is now potential for community groups to begin considering whether they could proceed with a renewable energy project. There is a route to market for them with the interconnector that did not exist until Ofgem gave the go ahead for the 1.8GW cable.”

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MEANWHILE, hopes emerged at the same meeting of the sustainable development committee that the planned new Arnish electricity substation could lead to lower transmission charges for renewable generation projects in the islands, including community generation.

“As ScotWind Wind Farms connect to Arnish, that substation meets the definition for a Mains Interconnected Transmission System” which “would then be treated as part of the wider UK Transmission Network and, under the current charging methodology, a generator connecting directly to the MITS node in Lewis would pay system-wide Transmission Charges but not local Transmission Charges.”

The comhairle said that, potentially on the back of that, charges “should, therefore, be considerably lower but this is heavily caveated as the Transmission Charge regime is currently undergoing major review.”

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