As promised at the meeting on the 14th June by the SLWG, here is the full presentation as offered by the group to the community of ColGlen. Any questions please contact the CC, DT or Windfarm Trust!
Tag: windfarm trust
Today the Equitable Energy Research Report on Onshore Wind Repowering is finally published, discussing the “Opportunities for Community Wealth Building in Argyll and Bute – and Beyond” (available below).
The Repowering of Cruach Mhor Windfarm is a central part of the repowering puzzle in Scotland, and therefore the results of the discussions our community has at the meeting on June 14th will be anticipated with great interest – it seems Scotland will be watching!
The SLWG has contributed in small part to the report and we have emphasized throughout, that we are a community-led group which, notwithstanding the wider conversation about onshore wind, repowering and climate change, will represent and advocate for the decisions made by the residents of ColGlen.
Here is what the report says about the Cruach Mhor Repowering Project:
Located on the Cowal Peninsula, Cruach Mhor (30 MW) was commissioned in 2004 and consists of 35 turbines, with a total capacity of 29 MW, around 90% of which is situated on FLS land. When Scottish Power’s FLS lease came up for renewal, Cowal Community Energy (CCE) – a consortium of local development trusts – lodged a bid for the site but was unsuccessful, losing out to Belltown Power. The Scottish Government’s decision to introduce the FLS pilot scheme (page 25) appears to be an acknowledgement that communities cannot compete directly on an equal commercial basis with more experienced and better-financed commercial developers.
The successful bidder Belltown Power is however offering what they describe as “a unique and groundbreaking” shared ownership scheme supporting “genuine buy-in” and “real community/developer partnerships.”57 This scheme involves:
• Donating 1% ownership of their onshore wind projects to local communities;
• Offering an additional 4% ownership at cost value;
• The option for local communities to buy additional ownership shares at market value – up to 44% according to local community groups in Cowal,58 which would equate to up to 49% total ownership with local communities.
At the time of writing, the relationship between CCE – whose members represent the wider Cowal peninsula including Colintraive and Glendaruel (ColGlen) Development Trust – and the ColGlen community council and historic wind farm trust was still under consideration. As of early 2026, ColGlen was understood to still be considering whether to negotiate directly with Belltown Power, or to support CCE in negotiating on their behalf, collectively with the wider Cowal community. How this is resolved will significantly affect how much of the repowering value flows to residents living in the immediate vicinity of the windfarm and the wider region. Having been a test case for a community attempt at repowering, Cruach Mhor looks set to become an important test case for shared ownership.
Here is a link to the full report.
The community meeting at 2.30pm on 14th June 2026 in the Glen Hall will introduce the findings of the Short-Life Working Group (SLWG) and hope to gain insight into the community’s wishes for how to approach the repowering of the Cruach Mhor windfarm and the associated opportunities.
From the beginning this has been a ground-up consultative process and is designed to ensure that everyone is included in the community’s decision.
If you cannot make the meeting or if you would like to participate in the survey but do not have a paper copy of the handout (link and below), please email your answers and comments on the repowering to the SLWG via the secretary’s email.
The community council will be meeting next Monday in the small meeting room at the back of the Glendaruel Hall (across the stage). Items on our agenda will include Resilience, Roads, the Rally and the Repowering of Cruach Mhor Windfarm. All are welcome!
We will be following our standing agenda and the draft minutes are available here
An informal community meeting was held in the Glendaruel Hall at 2:30 PM on Sunday, October 26, 2025, to discuss early issues arising from the award of the re-powering lease of Cruach Mhor to Belltown Energy.
Prior to the event, an information sheet including details of the meeting had been distributed by hand to all households in the Colintraive and Glendaruel area, which is available here.
A report from the Community Liaison Group and decks from the meeting are available below:
Announcing a meeting for residents of Colintraive & Glendaruel at Glendaruel Hall on Sunday 26th October at 2.30pm
As residents will have gathered from our previous update in the summer community newsletter, the re-powering of Cruach Mhor is the first re-powering of a wind farm on the Forest & Land Scotland estate (ultimately owned, of course, by the Scottish Government) and, as such, it will be breaking new ground in community involvement as well as in the upgrading of an existing site by a different developer.
At the meeting on the 26th, which this notice announces, the Community Liaison Group, (the Chairs of the Community Council, the Development Trust and the Wind Farm Trust), will
- give an update on the re-powering issue
- present information on possible outcomes of the negotiations the developer and other partners,
- and seek the support of the community to take forward those negotiations to secure the best result for our community.
- Additionally, Alistair MacLeod will make a presentation on issues of risk for the community to inform the decisions before us.
To enable this meeting, we would like to brief residents on the latest information relating to the re-powering of the windfarm and the choices before us.
The new developer, Belltown, will be applying for planning permission for fewer, larger turbines and will have to secure an upgraded grid connection. There will be a formal planning process during which the community will be able to have its say, along with individuals and the existing statutory consultees, including the Community Council.
The current discussion about re-powering, as it affects the community, is separate to the planning process. The Community Liaison Group is recognised by Belltown and Forest & Land Scotland as relevant community body, which means they negotiate with us about
- Community Benefit arising from the re-powered wind farm, which ColGlen is guaranteed a major share of, no matter who the developers or investors are.
- Community Investment in the wind farm, up to a total of 49% of the equity, and this will result in a Community Profit payment.
At the moment ColGlen’s annual Community Benefit payment, distributed by the Wind Farm Trust, is just under £50,000, but this is likely to increase after re-powering to between £150,000 and £350,000. However, as there will be a funding gap when the site is not generating, Belltown are prepared to make an advance payment equal to the existing annual sum, provided planning permission has been granted.
The Community Profit payment will be generated from holding some or all of the following equity in the company that runs the windfarm:
- 1% of equity, which will be given to ColGlen when the windfarm begins generating.
- Some or all of 4% equity share which we can buy at cost price.
- Some or all of 44% of equity which we can purchase at full, commercial price.
Therefore the Community Liaison Group wishes to know which of the following options the residents of Colglen wish us to pursue, given that Belltown can only negotiate with one body nominated by the community:
- ColGlen to negotiate directly with Belltown to acquire as much of the equity in the Windfarm as possible for the community of ColGlen only, raising funds with the help of various advisory bodies and financial institutions. Community Energy Scotland advise that while raising the monies for the 4% equity only is possible, doing so for a larger portion of ownership in the windfarm development would be ‘easier’.
- ColGlen to partner with Cowal Community Energy (CCE), a consortium of the Development Trusts in Cowal (of which ColGlen is a member via our Development Trust) so that they become the main negotiator, and therefore investor, generating the Community Profit Payment. CCE are willing to purchase the 4% of equity on our behalf, and pay us the profit from that equity to ColGlen only. CCE would then distribute the rest of the Community Profit Payment, generated from the remaining 44% of equity, to all of Cowal (including ourselves), rather than just ColGlen.
Whatever level of equity is taken up, the level of risk to the community is the same, and to help the community understand this Alistair MacLeod will explain how large windfarm projects typically work. Alistair has had a house in Colintraive for the last decade, is Secretary of the Col-Glen Boat Club, and has many years’ experience in the energy industry dealing with risk management issues. He has agreed to present the information on risk at the meeting to allow an informed discussion.
If the meeting decides that we should work more closely with CCE (option 2) the three organisations will move to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with them and will support their role as the negotiator for the equity. If, however, the community wishes to explore further the concept of being the larger community investor (option 1), we will require to seek resources and advice on how we would move that forward.
We would encourage all local residents to attend the meeting which will be an opportunity to explore the possibilities outlined here. If however, you cannot make the meeting, please email views or questions to secretary@colglencommunitycouncil.org.uk. We look forward to seeing you in the Glen Hall on the 26th October at 2.30pm.
Charles Dixon Spain – Chair, ColGlen Community Council
Sara MacLean – Chair, ColGlen Development Trust Michael Russell – Chair, Cruach Mhor Wind Farm Trust
The community council will be meeting next Monday in the Colintraive Village Hall. Items on our agenda will include Resilience, Roads, the Rally and the Repowering of Cruach Mhor Windfarm. All are welcome!
We will be following our standing agenda and the draft minutes are available here
On Monday 9th June 2025 at the Glendaruel Village Hall, an update was given on the future lessee of the Cruach Mhor windfarm which is now known to be Belltown Power. This is a Bristol-based organisation which has an existing relationship with Forestry and Land Scotland. It operates four other sites in Scotland and several southern sites, with a mixed portfolio of wind, photovoltaic and hydro power. Their bid was the most financially competitive out of the 18 total bidders for the lease of the windfarm which renews in 2029.
For more, please read the document below:
Along with many of our usual reports and topical issues, including the Local Place Plan, we plan to discuss how we deal with the imminent Digital Switchover as a community. We have heard how the present plans by the UK & Scottish Governments do not seem to have any idea of what this will mean for a rural community like ours. If you have worries, views or would like more information, please come along to the meeting at the Colintraive Village Hall at 7.30pm on Monday evening.
We will be following our Standing Agenda.
Categories
Cruach Mhor Windfarm Trustee Election
Interested in supporting local people and community projects? You could be a candidate for election as a Trustee of the Cruach Mhor Windfarm Trust, the grant-giving body for the Cruach Mhor Windfarm, sited above Glendaruel.
The Windfarm Trust is seeking to elect three Trustees for a 4-year term. If there are more than three candidates a community ballot will be held. The closing date for nominations is 4pm on Wednesday 23rd April 2025.
Visit cmwft.scot or email info@cmwft.scot for forms and information.
*Candidates must live in the ColGlen Community Council area, be 16 years or older on the closing date, and must not be an employee of either Argyll and Bute Council or ScottishPower Renewables.