Welcome to our website for Dorenell Extension Wind Farm and Biodiversity Enhancement Plan
Galileo has developed proposals for a Wind Farm and Biodiversity Enhancement Plan (together known as ‘the project’) on land within the Cabrach and Glenfiddich Estates, approximately 10km south of Dufftown in Moray.
We believe the location could support a project that would make a meaningful contribution to Scotland’s renewable energy and climate change targets and deliver a significant community wealth fund for the local area.
After an extensive period of consultation with the local community over the course of 2024 and 2025, we have formally submitted our proposal for:
- 67 turbines ranging in height between 150m and 250m
- A battery energy storage system; and
- Significant hectares of peatland enhancement and restoration, equivalent in size to more than 1,200 football pitches.
The submitted proposal reflects community and stakeholder feedback we have received, but also takes into account further survey work on the site which has meant that our previous proposal presented to the community in March 2025 has been further reduced in size.
As a result, overall installed capacity of the windfarm as planned is now 476.6MW, enough to provide annual power consumption of 367,000 homes, removing what would otherwise be over 562,650 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year. That environmental impact is equivalent to removing 334,000 cars from Britain’s roads.
The project’s battery storage element would support the wider decarbonisation of the electricity system, and the Biodiversity Enhancement Plan would reduce carbon losses from extensive areas of damaged upland peatland on site, delivering further carbon savings and increasing local biodiversity.
The Dorenell Extension Wind Farm and Biodiversity Enhancement Plan is being proposed against the backdrop of the climate emergency, and the need to transition to renewable energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally from polluting fossil fuels.
The project will support the transition to a low carbon economy and the delivery of the Scottish Government’s ambitious, legally-binding target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.1 In addition, we believe that the Biodiversity Enhancement Plan could deliver one of the largest peatland restoration projects of its kind associated with a Scottish wind farm, delivering further carbon savings, and contributing to the Scottish Government’s target to restore 20,000 hectares of peatland each year.2
Benefitting the local community
We believe that those living nearest to renewable energy projects should benefit directly from their operation. Based on the project capacity that we have submitted for consideration by the Scottish Government, there will be an anticipated total community fund of almost £2.4 million per year (or £100 million over the 40 year lifespan). We will utilise a portion of this fund in order to introduce a Renewable Electricity Discount Scheme, which means:
- Every household within 5km of the site boundary for the proposed windfarm will be entitled to an annual contribution of £1,849 towards their energy costs
- Every household between 5km and 8km from the site boundary for the proposed windfarm will be entitled to an annual contribution of £924 towards their energy costs.
These annual figures are based on the OFGEM household dual fuel energy cap for the period between 1st April and 30th June 2025. The contributions paid towards energy costs for each household will rise annually in line with inflation for the windfarm’s expected 40 years of operation.
This contribution towards the energy costs of every local household within 8km of our site reflects our belief that those living nearest to renewable energy projects should benefit directly from their operation.
In addition to our Renewable Electricity Discount Scheme, we have agreed that, for the duration of operation, our community benefit package will also include the following elements:
- A local skills fund of £50,000 per annum
- A local biodiversity and nature fund of £100,000 per year
- A regeneration fund of up to £1.6m to support local initiatives (40% of which must be in the Cabrach, 20% in Dufftown, 20% in Glenlivet and 20% in Strathdon)
- The employment of two local project workers, based in the Cabrach, to support and administer the schemes
Taken together with the Renewable Energy Discount Scheme, this package means we are offering a community benefit fund that would form one of the largest ever seen in the UK.
Building Community Wealth
We are continuing to explore the potential for the local community to take up to five per cent ownership of the wind farm, and we continue to work with partners including Local Energy Scotland to encourage interested parties to come forward.
Additionally, we are working with business support organisations, including the Moray Chamber of Commerce, to maximise contract opportunities for local businesses. Local businesses wishing to express interest in exploring commercial opportunities are asked to complete this form.
Contractor Registration formWe want to see maximum local and national economic benefit being derived from the construction and operation of the Wind Farm and the Biodiversity Enhancement Plan.
Independent analysis has determined that the project would see 1,200 ‘job years’ created in the immediate local area during construction of the project, and support 50 full-time equivalent roles in the wider regional economy on an ongoing basis over its projected lifetime of 40 years.
