German wind farms firm starts work on Scots portfolio

GERMAN renewables firm PNE Wind has begun work on its first clutch of Scottish projects as part of ambitious plans to invest £500 million in green energy schemes in the UK.

The company, which established offices in Edinburgh just over a year ago to spearhead its push into Scotland, is currently looking at developing four specific sites - Brunta Hill in the Borders, Hill of Braco in Aberdeenshire, Kennoxhead in South Lanarkshire and Tralorg near Girvan.

PNE Wind is aiming to build a portfolio of wind farms across the UK with a capacity of more than 300 megawatts (MW).

Ennova, an Edinburgh-based law firm established to work on investments in renewable energy in Scotland, recently worked with the company to help it secure a 2,000 hectare site for the proposed Kennoxhead site near the village of Glespin.

An application for consent from the Scottish Government has been submitted and formal planning permission is expected to be sought in 2013.

PNE Wind's UK director George Mager said the partnership with Ennova had helped his company gain some early wins in the development of its Scottish portfolio.

He said: "While the case to advance renewable schemes in Scotland remains strong, there are significant sensitivities and neighbourhood concerns that need to be addressed when applications for wind farms are proposed."

The firm's expansion into the UK is the latest move by its parent company, which since 1995 has been building onshore and offshore wind farms in Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Turkey and the United States.

The German group has developed 97 wind farms, comprising 563 wind turbines with an installed capacity of 804MW.

As well as onshore sites it has also gained consent for three offshore wind farms in German waters with a combined capacity of 1,200MW.

Ennova, which has a team of seven lawyers, acts for developers and investors and also provides advice on Scottish issues to law firms in England.