Manx Utilities announces plans for onshore renewables

Two possible sites identified for proposed onshore windfarm

Manx Utilities has announced its plans to deliver onshore renewable energy projects to benefit the Isle of Man.

It follows a speech in Tynwald this afternoon from the Chair of the Manx Utilities Authority, Tim Crookall.

The company says public ownership of the new renewables using publicly owned estate should enable the quickest delivery and lowest end-user cost.

It hopes to see a 20 Megawatt windfarm and 10 Megawatts of solar power to be delivered on the Island by 2026.

Studies commissioned by Manx Utilities have identified that the appropriate level of renewable electricity generation, which can maintain secure supplies, is presently up to 40 Megawatts.

WIND

Two sites have been identified as potentially suitable to deliver a 20 Megawatt windfarm: Sulby & Druidale in the north and Earystane & Scard in the south of the Island.

Three sites were originally selected from a study carried out in 2022 by Bureau Veritas which looked at the suitability of sites for the deployment of both onshore wind and solar generation technologies.

The potential third site, at West Baldwin & Injebreck has been ruled out - as it would’ve been too hard to access to enable construction there.

The final two potential sites have been selected as they 'closely match the criteria to access the best quality wind resource, acceptable delivery timescale, and lowest cost to consumers'.

Other locations on the Island were ruled out for a variety of reasons, including environmental issues.

For instance, the area around Windy Corner consists of peatland that wouldn't be able to carry the weight of such a project.

The company states an onshore windfarm of this scale could potentially deliver up to 30% of the Island’s electricity needs, subject to final designs.

A decision on which site to take forward will be made following completion of the further environmental and technical appraisals by the end of this summer.

SULBY & DRUIDALE

A potential site at Sulby & Druidale would require 7 - 12 turbines to provide the amount of electricity required.

It would generate 20+ Megawatts of power, creating an annual output of 81 GWh.

In terms of the positives of the site, this would have the lowest visual impact due to its location within a valley.

(Artist impression of potential windfarm at Subly & Druidale)

EARYSTANE & SCARD

A potential site at Earystane & Scard would not require as many turbines due to higher wind speeds in the area.

It would need 4 - 5 turbines to generate 20+ Megawatts of power, creating an annual output of 105-130 GWh.

This site would have a higher visual impact but would be more efficient in terms of the number of turbines.

(Artist impression of potential windfarm at Earystane & Scard)

The next phase of work will involve a full Environmental Impact Assessment for the preferred site to ensure issues identified are suitably addressed, completion of a design package and a tender exercise for the manufacturing of wind turbines.

All of this would be followed by a full planning application process which would need to be complete before on-site works can commence.

SOLAR

Working with the Department of Infrastructure, Manx Utilities has also identified over 30 sites suitable to deliver a total of 30 Megawatts of solar power on the public estate.

These solar panels would be installed on brownfield sites already suitably placed to be utilised.

The first phase of solar installations will see five locations being progressed with more sites to be identified to reach the 10 Megawatt objective.

Sites identified in phase one are the NSC, Noble’s Hospital and the Sea Terminal and will utilise roof space and car parks, thereby minimising ecological impact.

In terms of car parking, these would be raised panels to allow cars to park underneath, which would be strategically placed to ensure vegetation in the area would not block the sunlight to them.

It's also hoped they would be installed in such a way that they could be moved in the future during any development at the sites.

(Artist impression of potential solar panels at the NSC)

(Artist impression of potential solar panels at the NSC)

It is intended that solar installations will be delivered by local business specialists.

Alongside the solar and wind projects, Manx Utilities says it is working on a variety of other key projects which 'support the wider Isle of Man Government target of 100% decarbonised electricity by 2030'.

These include a second subsea interconnector, consideration of clean controllable generators which will provide an additional level of resilience and security of supply, along with a potential connection to an offshore windfarm.

The cost for the proposed solar and wind onshore energy projects has not been revealed as the projects will go out to tender once a business case is developed.