How was the Earystane site chosen?

Given the dominant south westerly wind direction on the Isle of Man, sites facing south west typically have better energy yield for onshore wind. The South West of the Island has consistently been identified as the optimum region of the Island to generate wind in studies going as far back as the 1950s. The Island’s first turbine (and one of the first wind generators in the British Isles) was also located in the South West of the Island, just west of South Barrule.

A 2010 report by AEA identifying 8 possible locations for onshore wind across the Island, though these sites are no longer considered suitable: at the time of this study, there was no real requirement to fully consider environmental impacts from the development, or climate impact arising from construction. The IMPACT report in 2019 also considered the benefits of these sites though did not take into account new UK legislation which must be followed for all onshore windfarm developments on the Isle of Man as best practice (Town and Country Planning Act (Environmental Impact Assessment), England and Wales, 2017). Both studies therefore did not fully take into account the potential environmental impacts of developments in these areas.”

Peatland in particular can be a major barrier to onshore wind, as the damage caused to peat by the onshore wind turbine foundations can release more carbon dioxide than the windfarm ultimately saves. It is therefore very difficult to justify that peatland should be developed though many of the AEA sites were on peat, or old mining land which could lead to pollution of our water ways during construction.

Many of the sites identified in previous studies also lay on Registered Heathland; it is difficult to mitigate the ecological impact of constructing windfarms in such areas and this is why there have not been any windfarm developments on heathland in the British Isles since 1990s.

A study by Bureau Veritas in 2022 reviewed all sites on Island which were suitable for renewable electricity and from these sites, identified three suitable onshore windfarm sites on Island (all located on the public estate). The evaluation by Bureau Veritas considered both energy yield from onshore wind and the environmental impacts of such a development. The three sites identified by Bureau Veritas all fall within the high wind bands identified in the 2019 IMPACT report, but also lie in three regions which are not entirely made up of heathland or peatland.

In March 2023, following the approval of the Island Plan, Manx Utilities appointed multidisciplinary environmental, engineering and mining consultants, Wardell Armstrong, to carry out the initial environmental and technical appraisals for all three sites. In tandem with this assessment, a full Island-wide site selection audit was carried out to verify Bureau Veritas’ study. The Wardell Armstrong study confirmed that Earystane was the most suitable site on Island for a windfarm of c.20MW.

The Earystane site was selected due to having higher average wind speeds, fewer environmental impacts once upgrades to transport routes were factored in and was deliverable. The site could deliver over a quarter of our electricity needs on Island and therefore provided great value to our customers. The road infrastructure between the potential delivery locations and the wind turbine sites would also require very little modification to accommodate turbine components when they arrive on Island.

Manx Utilities and Wardell Armstrong are now conducting a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of Earystane and detailed design which will help to assess how best to mitigate any environmental and social risks identified. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be completed in early 2025 and will support our planning application.