Community benefits
Shinness Windfarm Ltd is committed to delivering a community contribution of £5,000 per MW generated and will establish a methodology with the local community for the fair distribution of the monies.
The contribution will provide for the establishment of a Shinness fund for the local area; a Lairg Community Council area fund; and, a more regional fund for the benefit of community council areas to the north and west of the Lairg Community Council area where constraints rule out the development of a wind farm.
It is intended that the Shinness local area fund could, in part, make a financial contribution towards the power costs of each of the 72 residential properties within the Shinness local area. The balance of the local area funds could still be used to fund local betterment within Shinness through a local organisation established for this purpose.
A worked example of how the community contribution funds could be used is as follows:
£5,000 x 105.6MW = £528,000 per annum for 40 years[1]
Overall community contribution distribution every year for 40 years
Shinness Household Power Contribution 72 homes x £1,250/ home £90,000
Shinness local area fund £TBC
Lairg Community Council £TBC
Adjoining Community Councils (6 x £15,000) £90,000
comprising Bettyhill, Strathnavar and Altnaharra; Tongue; Durness; Kinlochbervie; Scourie; and, Assynt.
[1] Funds would be index linked for 40 years and payments start one year after the windfarm first delivers energy into the national grid.