NHT Update: Meavaig homes and turbine plans

From the North Harris Trust

The Monan Wind Company programme to replace their three obsolete two-bladed turbines with new threebladed versions went awry on the evening of December

12, when a fire broke out in the turbine hub during the commissioning process for Turbine 2.

Fortunately, the two technicians in the turbine hub at the time managed to make a safe emergency evacuation. However, the fire burned for a number of hours and resulted in the total loss of the machine. A 24-hour security presence was established immediately to maintain public safety and decommissioning specialists engaged to allow for a controlled felling of Turbine 2 as soon as safe to do so.

The felling was undertaken over the Christmas period once the necessary planning was in place with the turbine down by the new year. The clean-up operation has now commenced and will be thorough; delivered by a specialist waste contractor to ensure the removal of all hazardous materials and potential pollutants.

It is understood that there has been full engagement and compliance with all the relevant bodies during this process to mitigate environmental impact and ensure

public safety.

Although the machine is now scrap, it is believed that the Turbine 2 foundation has been unaffected, and this should allow for its full replacement with a new version

in due course.

The commissioning process for the other two turbines is planned to resume in the coming weeks, and all being well generation should commence

from mid-February.

Michael Hunter, Manager at the North Harris Trust, commented, “We are relieved that no one was seriously injured in this unfortunate incident, and have been impressed by the professional response of the developer in a difficult situation. In coordination with

them, we are carrying out site visits to ensure our estate is appropriately protected and reinstated where necessary. Hopefully, we will soon see the turbines turning safely and so providing income towards our Community Fund which should be available for

allocation to community projects from next year.”

New homes will soon be ready for residents

As we start the year, our two new affordable homes for rent at Meavaig sit waiting on electricity. The houses, called Scourst View, are complete, except for a couple of minor snagging issues. Scottish Power has cancelled two appointments to fit meters. Without electricity, we cannot test and certify the heating and lighting and ultimately get our Completion Certificate. Once we are certified as safe, the plan is to have an open day for interested parties and open up to applications for the tenancies. This looks like it will be in February.

It's over five years since The North Harris Trust acquired the site and two and a half years since we found a viable route to build these homes. In this time the availability of affordable homes for rent has not improved in North Harris. We need more homes to stem the outflow of young people. A two and a three bedroom house will not cure the problem, but it may help build a more sustainable community. This would not have been possible without match fund-ing from Scottish Government’s Rural Housing Fund and SSE Re-newables’ Hydro Community Fund