We are delighted to announce that two projects Locogen has recently worked on have been shortlisted for the Scottish Green Energy Awards 2017: Ben Mor Hydro and Coigach Community Wind. The award ceremony will be held in Edinburgh on 30th November 2017, attracting over 1000 people from the renewable energy industry.
Locogen has been shortlisted for the best community engagement award for our involvement in the Ben Mor Hydro project. The 500kW shared ownership hydro scheme, between Locogen, Coigach Community Group and Scottish Wildlife Trust, has been in operation since December 2016 and is predicted to generate 72.5GWh over its +50-year operational life, offsetting 39,295 tonnes of CO2. Locogen funded the development and project managed the construction of the scheme during 2016, overcoming a number of challenges as well as successfully securing additional grid capacity, resolving outstanding property agreements and obtaining the required land court approvals. The Coigach Community Group, Scottish Wildlife Trust and landowner all benefit from the ongoing shared ownership of the project.
Coigach Community Wind has been shortlisted for the best community project award. This is a 500kW wind project owned by Coigach Community Interest Company. The project benefits the local community in Coigach, north west Scotland by providing a secure revenue stream for the life of the scheme. The funds will be reinvested in the local community through new initiatives which will ensure sustainability and enhance the local area. This is a fantastic example of the drive and determination of a group of local residents to see a project through to fruition over a 13-year period. Locogen was appointed to manage the project in 2015. Despite a long and arduous planning process as well as many other challenges, the project was commissioned before the FIT deadline within budget. The turbine has been operational since March 2017 and is predicted to generate 40,400MWh over its 20 year operational life, offsetting 21,896 tonnes of CO2. The turbine is believed to be the first large community-owned turbine in mainland Highlands, forecast to bring over £2 million of community benefit funds.