Pines Burn Wind Farm

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Project Description

The Pines Burn wind farm project is located approximately 6km South West of Bonchester Bridge and 8km South of Hawick in the Scottish Borders. The project consists of 11 wind turbines, with tip heights between 130m, 145m and 149.9m. The development will be operational for a 30 year period, after which the turbines would be removed and the site restored.

The project will be built in two phases. Phase I comprises the seven larger turbines at 145m and 149.9m. Phase II comprises four turbines at 130m.

Project Consent

An application for consent was submitted to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) in December 2016, which was granted by appeal in August 2018 (planning permission reference 17/00010/FUL, planning appeal reference PPA-140-2069). On 4 October 2021 Scottish Borders Council (SBC) approved a Section 42 planning application (21/01137/FUL), which increased the duration of consent from 25 to 30 years from the date of final commissioning.

Planning Application

An application for consent was submitted to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) in December 2016, which was granted by appeal in August 2018 (planning permission reference 17/00010/FUL, planning appeal reference PPA-140-2069). On 4 October 2021 Scottish Borders Council (SBC) approved a Section 42 planning application (21/01137/FUL), which increased the duration of consent from 25 to 30 years from the date of final commissioning.

Energiekontor is currently consulting on its proposals to seek a new planning consent on the Site which would increase the tip heights of four of the turbines from 130m to 149.9m to tip. These turbines (Turbine numbers 2, 4, 6 & 7 on the Consented Layout figure) comprise Phase II of Pines Burn, with phase I comprising 7 turbines due to begin construction later this year. The turbines are proposed in the same location as those that were consented. The downloadable documents on this page include visualisations or ‘photomontages’ for the proposed changes. These indicate how the 149.9m tall turbines would look from different viewpoint.

The key changes to Pines Burn Wind Farm compared to the consented project introduced by the new proposal are:

Based on an average annual UK domestic electricity consumption figure of 3.889KWh (as set out in the BEIS publication “Energy Consumption in the UK” (2017)) and on BEIS’s standard carbon dioxide savings figure of 430g/KWh, we predict (expected generation) that the consented wind farm could generate a net 117 GWh of energy, which could:

• Power 30,083 homes
• Saves 50,310 tonnes of CO2 per year

Based on the proposed changes to Pines Burn we predict that the wind farm could generate a net 135 GWh of energy, which could:

• Power 34,712 homes
• Save 58,050 tonnes of CO2 per year

Why are we seeking a new planning consent for Pines Burn Wind Farm?

Since Pines Burn was first designed in 2016 there have been a number of changes which have affected our ability to deliver the scheme as a subsidy-free wind farm.

There are multiple factors that have a considerable influence on the viability of Pines Burn, such that without a tip height enhancement achieving viability will be challenging for phase II of the development. Since the removal of subsidies for wind farms there has been a need to adapt to meet the requirements for a viable project. Depending on the turbine chosen, the tip height increase proposal has the potential to increase the energy generation of the project by 15%, from approximately 117 GWh per annum to around 135 GWh per annum.

Public Engagement

We understand and recognise the value of the feedback provided by members of the public during all engagements and consultations. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis we are conducting this public consultation through other means, including online. The downloadable documents on this page contain the consultation material that we would have presented at a public exhibition for the proposal. We are keen to receive your views and comments to the project and would be grateful for any comments or questions on our proposals, and these can be sent directly to the project manager Duncan Taylor at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will aim to respond within 48 hours of receiving the question.

We will also be holding interactive individual Question & Answer sessions on the 22nd and 23rd August between 5pm and 7pm where members of the public can discuss the project with members of the Energiekontor team.  Please get in touch with us (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and we will allocate a 10-minute telephone conversation slot, on these dates,  where we can discuss the project with you

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