Plans for a major 238MW wind farm with up to 36 turbines on the hills west of Beauly will go out to public consultation this month.
Energiekontor UK is behind plans for the proposed Ballach Wind Farm around four kilometres north-west of Kilmorack on the Erchless and Farley estates.
And it has announced that the details will go on display at a public event at the back end of January.
The first consultation event will take place at the Kilmorack Community Hall on January 29 from 2pm to 7pm.
Members of the project team will be on hand to answer questions and gather feedback from the local community, with a further event planned for later in the year, after which it will lodge its application. Feedback from this first event will be open until February 24.
The company said that preliminary assessments predict that the proposed wind farm could feature up to 36 turbines standing up to 230 metres high at the tip. The proposals also include an onsite battery energy storage facility which would allow renewable energy to be stored and released during peaks in demand.
The company said that as well as adding further capacity to the region’s energy grid, the new wind farm will include a community benefit package of £5000 per MW for the neighbouring communities.
The wind farm will be located within the red boundary, with road access taken from a location north of Struy. Picture: ©Crown copyright 2025 Ordnance Survey. Media 017/25.
Owing to its size, the decision over whether to grant the application will be made by Scottish ministers, who rule on any power project with a generating capacity larger than 50MW.
A dedicated project website has been created at energiekontor.co.uk/our-projects/ballach-wind-farm where full details of the proposals and an opportunity to leave feedback will be available from January 29.
Calum Morris, project manager at EnergieKontor UK Ltd said: “We are delighted to announce the start of the consultation period for Ballach Wind Farm. The project aims to deliver a substantial contribution to Scotland’s transition to a fully low carbon energy system, while supporting local communities to accelerate their contribution to Scotland’s Net-Zero targets.
“We would encourage anyone with an interest in the proposals to come along to the public consultation event at the end of January to learn more about the development and speak to the project team. At Energiekontor, engagement with the local community is of the upmost importance and we look forward to answering your questions and gathering valuable feedback to help shape the proposals.”