Welcome to our website for the Rivox Wind Energy Hub.
At Belltown Power we are committed to working with local communities and stakeholders to responsibly develop renewable energy projects that help to deliver UK and Scotland's climate change targets and ensure a green and sustainable future for generations to come.
The aim of this website is to provide easy access to the latest key project information as well as setting out how you can get involved and share your views. We look forward to hearing from you.
The Climate Crisis
We are facing an unprecedented global climate crisis caused by the use of fossil fuels to power our societies. In the past 50 years weather induced disasters have increased 5-fold. [1]
Necessary Actions
CO2 ppm have risen by 28% in the past 50 years.[2] We need to urgently cut greenhouse gas emissions to prevent irreversible temperature rises and nature loss. As electrification of transport and heating continues our demand for electricity will rise. It is vital we meet this increase, and existing demand, from renewable sources.
Project Contribution
Rivox Wind Energy Hub has the potential to make a sizeable contribution to the decarbonisation of our electricity system and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Stats: The project could produce enough energy to power 151,302 homes a year [3].
This project is an opportunity for your community to contribute to tackling climate change in a significant way through hosting and part-owning a modern wind energy hub.
“We must go into emergency mode against the climate crisis. We need an avalanche of action.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
"If we don't act now, it'll be too late. Every day that goes by in which we don't do something about it is a day wasted,"
Sir David Attenborough
- WMO, Weather-related disasters
- Statista, Historic average carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, Ian Tiseo
- RenewableUK, Statistics explained, figures based on a wind energy hub comprising 31 turbines at 6.6MW
Project Proposal
The site is located approximately 5km west of Moffat in Dumfries & Galloway. It is currently a productive forest, used to grow trees for harvesting as timber and this will continue alongside the development proposal.
In June 2021 the scoping request was submitted. The Scoping Report and all the associated documents can be viewed on the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit website, reference ECU00003293 You can also find the Scoping Report in the Project Documents section below.
Following further project development, impact assessment and feedback from the cfirst onsultation events in June 2022, we further reduced the number of turbines. The project will now comprise 29 turbines: 7 at a maximum tip height of 200m and 22 at a maximum tip height of 230m. The proposal includes a battery storage facility. As we move towards a decarbonised network, storing clean energy and discharging it when it is most needed, allows us to help balance the grid network so it remains stable and runs efficiently. The turbines, together with an energy storage facility and habitat enhancements, collectively make up the Wind Energy Hub.
- Figure 1.1 Site Location Plan (1.96 MB)
- Figure 3.1 Proposed Site Layout (1.74 MB)
- Figure 5.1 Blade Type Height (230m) Zone of Theoretical Visibility and Scoping Viewpoints (2.10 MB)
- Figure 5.2a Landscape Character Types (1.88 MB)
- Figure 5.2b Landscape Character Types – Detailed Map Legend (254.24 KB)
- Figure 5.3 Designated Landscape and Wild Land Areas (2.46 MB)
- Figure 5.4 Cumulative Wind Farms Within 45k (1.74 MB)
- Figure 6.1 Watercourses and Peat Depth (1.85 MB)
- Figure 7.1 Ecological and Ornithological Designations within 10km of the Site Boundary (2.04 MB)
- Figure 9.1 Heritage Assets and Canmore Records (1.78 MB)
- Figure 9.2 Designated Heritage Assets within 10km of the Site Boundary (2.14 MB)
- Figure 12.1 VFR 250km Chart Extract (2.51 MB)
- Figure 12.2 VFR 500km Chart Extract (1.81 MB)
Virtual exhibition
Please click here to enter the virtual exhibition from the most recent public exhibitions in January 2023, to find more about the latest proposal. Should you have any questions please see how you can get involved below.
What’s next...
We are now finalising our proposal ahead of submitting it in spring 2023, to the Energy Consents Unit of Scottish Government, for determination by Scottish Ministers.
Timeline
7/8 Jun 22
First Consultation Events
Jun – Dec 22
Undertaking EIA Studies and design
25th January 2023
Second Consultation Events
Early 23
Target Planning Submission
Q1 - Q3 24
Expected Planning Determination
Q2 25
Start Construction Target
H2 27
Target Commercial Operation Date
Community – groundbreaking ownership offering
Community Ownership
At Belltown Power we fundamentally believe that renewable energy projects should benefit the communities that host them. Communities local to the Rivox Wind Energy Hub will benefit through our groundbreaking community ownership scheme.
We want to go beyond simply offering the opportunity for local investment into our projects and actually take demonstrable steps to enable the uptake of community ownership in a way that benefits everyone.
Belltown’s Community Ownership scheme includes:
-
Giving local community organisations 1% of the equity in the project for free.
-
Enabling them to buy a further 4% of the equity at cost once the project is operational and potentially more at market value, if desired.
Community Benefit
In addition to this attractive ownership offering, we are committed to providing £5,000/MW (index linked) Community Benefit for the lifetime of the project.In the case of Rivox this represents £957,000 per year for 35 years (£33,495,000 million Lifetime Community Benefit*).
We can be flexible as to when and how the community receives this funding and can front load some, or all of this, to best suit the community's needs. Organisations like Foundation Scotland and Local Energy Scotland can advise and assist communities to decide how best to use these funds to maximise benefit locally.
Our flexible structure means this could include
• buying additional ownership of Rivox Wind Energy Hub to achieve higher returns over the operational life
• offering discounted energy bills to local residents during the operational life of the wind farm and
• funding local initiatives with front loaded funding to allow support for larger projects
We currently propose using a significant proportion of the Community Benefit to provide electricity discounts to local residents, but want to hear your views on how Rivox Wind Energy Hub can best support your community.
*true value will be higher as the community benefit will be index linked to CPI.
Case Study
Near to our Tirgwynt site in Powys, Wales the Carno Primary School faced closure due to the condition of temporary buildings they were using. Due to our flexible community benefit offering we were able to substitute some of the annual payments with a larger, upfront payment which enabled the construction of a new school building allowing the local school to continue to serve the community for future generations.
Education - inspiring the next generation
We believe passionately in education and have been running the Belltown Education Programme since 2015 with the aim of inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists who will tackle the climate emergency.
Local Environment
Everyone at Belltown Power is involved in the renewable energy industry through a desire to tackle the climate crisis and nature emergency. In addition to powering over 141,541 homes each year and saving 233,418 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, we will implement a comprehensive and tailored Habitat Management Plan to ensure that Rivox Wind Energy Hub delivers a net ecological benefit through careful habitat design, creation and management.
* Figures based on a wind energy hub comprising 29 turbines at 6.6MW and recognised assumptions stated here.
Get involved and give your feedback
At Belltown Power, we recognise a fundamental part of good project development is early consultation to ensure local communities and stakeholders are given the opportunity to provide feedback and are kept informed of a project’s progress.
Here is the project information for the Rivox Wind Energy Hub.
The first exhibition about the project took place in June 2022 - you can still view it here Virtual Exhibition 1).
Following feedback and further work by the team the proposal was amended and a second round of public consultation took place in January 2023: you can view the updated exhibition here - see Virtual Exhibition Round 2.
Feedback has now closed but if you have any specific queries not answered by the information on this website please email the team at rivox@belltownpower.com
Public Exhibitions
A second public exhibition took place on 25 January 2023, in Beattock and Moffat, at which we presented our revised proposals, showing the material improvements to our development plans since the first exhibitions. The plans incorporate the results of our survey work from 2022 into the revised wind turbine layout design and associated infrastructure.
If you were unable to attend you can still view the whole exhibition online Feedback has now closed but if you have specific questions or comments, please email rivox@belltownpower.com
Register
You can still register as a local supplier, or request a call back from one of our team.
Register
Opportunities for Local businesses and Suppliers
Belltown Power is committed to providing material benefit to the communities that host them. To ensure this happens we will use local supply chain wherever possible. There are a wide range of services and suppliers required to build and operate a wind farm including but not limited to
-
construction, drainage and fencing contractors
-
materials suppliers and building merchants
-
plant hire and security
-
fuel providers and waste management and
-
local hospitality providers and car hire
To understand the full range of opportunities available please register on our supplier database and we will get in touch.
Meet the Buyer
In due course, we will be holding “Meet the Buyer” events where you can meet the project team, we can learn more about your business and we can discuss opportunities to work together.
If you believe you can supply our development or simply want to understand more we would be pleased to hear from you. All you need to do is register on the form above or email us and one of our team will be in contact to collect further details and answer any questions.
News
This second consultation event will take run from 18 January - 8 February 2023 and will include
In-person Exhibitions
- Wednesday 25 January, Beattock Village Hall, 0900-1200
- Wednesday 25 January, Moffat Town Hall, 1400-1900
Please come and meet the team to find out more about the revised proposals, ask questions and share your views.
Virtual Exhibition
If you are unable to attend the exhibitions in person, or would like to view the exhibition material again, a virtual exhibition will be available from 18 January here.
The event has been advertised in local media and an invitation has been sent to local residents by post. We welcome all feedback, which you can submit by returning the feedback form included with your exhibition invitation by Freepost [please use the envelope supplied, no stamp no further address required], or complete it online by 8 February here We look forward to engaging with any questions and feedback you may have about the project.
We have recently installed a temporary meteorological mast – a ‘met mast’ – on the proposed site of the Wind Energy Hub in Rivox. The mast – which was granted planning permission by the local authority prior to installation - will be used to measure wind speed and direction on the proposed site. The data it provides will be used in combination with the noise monitoring that is scheduled to be undertaken, to facilitate our final proposed layout design for the project.
A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who turned out at the public exhibitions we held last week in Beattock Village Hall and Moffat Town Hall. We had nearly 100 people drop in over the two days.
It was very useful for the team to meet local people and to hear your views and to get your ideas and suggestions for the community benefit.
We’d also like to thank all of you who have taken the trouble to send in your Feedback questionnaires in the post: we are busy logging and analysing all of these.
There will be follow up conversations on all aspect of the project with community representatives over the summer and we hope to hold a second public exhibition this autumn, to present more detailed information on certain elements of the proposed wind farm.
If you were unable to attend, you’ll find the exhibition online, on the website here and Feedback is open until 24th June.
Meanwhile if you have any specific questions or issues you’d like to raise with the team please email rivox@belltownpower.com
VIEWS SOUGHT ON RIVOX WIND FARM PLANS
Local residents are being invited to view plans for a new Wind Energy Hub near Moffat. The plans from Belltown Power will be on display for two days in early June and the company are keen to get local feedback.
The Belltown team will be on hand at the two public exhibitions to answer any questions local residents may have and to gather views on the proposal.
The exhibition will include detailed information about the project including visualisations from several viewpoints.
Commenting on the consultation, Peter Thomas, Senior Development Manager at Belltown Power said, “This is our first consultation event and we are keen to hear what local residents think of our plans for the Rivox development. We are trying to reach out to as many residents as we can to get their views. We’re holding exhibitions in Beattock and Moffat as well as a virtual consultation and we have posted out an invitation and feedback form to over 2500 households around the development site.”
Belltown Power were selected by Land and Forestry Scotland (FLS) as the preferred bidder for the Rivox site following a tender process in 2019. The site is currently a productive forest, used to
grow trees for harvesting as timber and this land use will continue alongside the proposed wind farm.
A scoping report was submitted to the Scottish Government in June 2021. The current proposal could see up to 31 turbines across the site producing over 200MW of clean energy.
Commenting further, Peter Thomas, said, “We are fully committed to a full community benefit package that includes £5K per MW installed per year for the 40-year lifetime of the project. We’ve also developed a ground-breaking community ownership package that enables local communities to take an ownership stake so that they’re really invested in the project and so it brings tangible benefits to the heart of the community.”
The online virtual exhibition will run on the website from 1 June to the 22 June showing all the exhibition materials and allowing residents to leave feedback www.belltownpower.com/uk/rivox/
The public exhibitions will be held on Tuesday 7 June and Wednesday 8 June 2022.
- Tuesday 7 June, Beattock Viillage Hall, 11 – 7pm
- Wednesday 8 June, Moffat Town Hall, 11 – 7pm
