Plans for onshore wind farm in south of Isle of Man to progress

Five wind turbines could be built on the Earystane and Scard site

Plans for a government-funded onshore wind farm in the south of the Isle of Man are set to be taken forward.

Two sites were identified to produce 20 megawatts of energy by the end of 2026 to meet climate change targets.

Manx Utilities (MU) said after assessments of Earystane and Scard, the site "appeared to offer the best value" with the lowest environmental impact.

Five turbines could be built in the area, which could deliver up to 130 gigawatts of energy per year.

An MU spokesman said the project could meet up to one third of the island's annual demand.

The move is part of a Council of Ministers commitment to produce 75% of Manx electricity through solar and onshore wind by 2026.

Those plans follow Tynwald's backing of a 2020 plan to cut carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050, which also included a commitment to generate the same percentage of electricity from renewable sources by 2035.

Data gathering

In March, environmental consultants Wardell Armstrong were appointed to carry out appraisals and their recommendation to progress with the Earystane and Scard site has now been backed by the MU board.

A full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will now take place on how the space could be affected by the look and noise of the farm.

A consultation with the local community and other island residents will be used to gather feedback on the plans.

The EIA is set to be completed in 2025 prior to the submission of a planning application, with the aim of the farm to be in operation by the end of 2026.

A sonic detection and ranging device has already been installed in Earystane Plantation to monitor wind speed over the next year.

It is then set to be moved to Sulby and Druidale,which was the other site being consideration, to provide data for any future development after 2026.

Bird and bat surveys have also commenced at Earystane and Scard and will last for a minimum of 18 months to gather two seasons of data, MU has said.

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