Tormsdale Wind Farm is located immediately west of a cluster of existing wind farm development connecting to the Mybster substation situated approximately 4km to the east of the site, on land 8.5 km south of Halkirk in Caithness.
The Site was first identified in late 2013 by Arise through a process of assessing local planning policy, wind resource, environmental & technical constraints. A preliminary design concept was presented to Highland Council in October 2014 for pre-application comment and advice. Extensive design and environmental survey work has since been undertaken to establish the existing environmental conditions on the site, and to inform the design and biodiversity enhancement measures proposed as part of the scheme.
The original formal application for a layout with 12 wind turbines was submitted in October 2021 to the ECU for determination.
The Applicant has responded to the feedback received to date during the determination phase to date. The final iteration of the wind farm design (July 2025) comprises of 9 turbines, each with a maximum tip height of up to 149.9 m with a co-located BESS, and associated infrastructure.
Updated visualisations and assessment of views of the proposal from the A9 and B870 have been submitted as part of the updated Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Chapter and associated visualisations which can be viewed here.
The updated assessment reaches conclusions which demonstrate that the visual impacts are reduced relative to the previous versions and that the landscape and visual impacts that would arise would be localised.
Significant opportunity for peatland restoration and other biodiversity enhancement measures has been identified and demonstrated as part of the updated submission.
Location Plan
Visualisations 1
Visualisations 2
There is no forestry on site. The land is currently used for sheep grazing and shooting, with fishing beats along the River Thurso and Little River. There is also a history of gravel extraction throughout the site.
If consented, this will be a productive wind farm due to the exceptional wind resource on site, highlighted by the number of other wind farm developments in the surrounding area. The wind farm will be capable of producing a significant amount of clean, green, renewable electricity and making a valuable contribution to Scotland’s ambitious renewable energy targets. The extensive environmental surveys and design work undertaken have shown the potential for this area to host further onshore wind development at this scale.
The Tormsdale site allows a sufficient set back from residential properties and other key receptors, and appropriate design has allowed the scheme to sit coherently alongside the existing wind farm developments. There is no forestry on site, and the current land cover is moorland and flat peatland, with salmon fishing on the River Thurso and Little River. Historic land use at the site has included mineral extraction works. Evidence of the former use is visible within the site area and includes a metal road, pits where extraction has occurred, and areas of overburden/soil which demonstrates the previous active use of the southern area of the site.
The proposed wind farm layout has been subject to a number of iterations and refinements which considerably mitigate any predicted adverse effects. For example, the use of existing access tracks has been maximised, whilst all turbines have been located in areas of shallow or no peat. The layout proposed has been designed to correspond with the areas used for historic mineral extraction as far as possible. The resultant design balances the environmental and technical constraints, whilst still producing an economically viable project. Additional peat and peatland habitat surveys undertaken have demonstrated the significant peatland restoration opportunity which would be delivered as part of this scheme as secured by planning condition. The updated outline Biodiversity Enhancement and Habitat Management Plan demonstrates significant opportunity for biodiversity enhancement at this site.
The Scottish Government has set legal obligations to decarbonise and reduce emissions and have a statutory target to achieve net zero by 2045 under the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019. The statutory framework also commits Scotland to achieving interim targets and five-year carbon budgets.
The Scottish Government Onshore Wind Policy Statement (2022) includes a target to delivery 20GW of onshore wind by 2030 and the UK Government: Clean Power 2030 Action Plan (2024) includes a target of the delivery of 27-29GW of operational onshore wind by 2030 as “mission critical” to achieving the overarching target of net zero by 2045. At present, there is only approximately 14.2GW of installed onshore wind capacity in the UK and therefore a significant gap between the installed capacity and the target for delivery.
The trajectory of the scale and pace of action required to reduce emissions in Scotland and the UK grows ever steeper and it is essential that rapid progress otherwise the legally binding target in Scotland of net zero by 2045 will not be met.
The Applicant holds a secure grid connection offer for the delivery of up to 70MW installed export capacity in association with the proposed development with a connection date of 2027.
Tormsdale Wind Farm is very strongly supported by the climate change and renewable energy policy and legislative framework and would make a significant contribution towards tackling climate change and achieving the 2030 targets.
The wind farm layout has been informed by environmental surveys, such as ecology, hydrology, and ornithology surveys, as well as technical input from geotechnical and wind engineers. This multi-discipline approach has produced a design which balances the optimisation of energy output and minimises impacts on the environment.
This design and the layout evolved throughout the EIA process. Broadly, the turbine development area has been moved towards Causeymire Wind Farm to minimise the extent of development when viewed from the north and south, and the design of the southern area of the Site has sought to ensure even spacing between turbines. This has been informed through feedback received from the Highland Council’s pre-application advice, and from feedback received post-submission of the application and EIA Report in consultation with statutory and non-statutory stakeholders, and members of the public.
The FEI (Amended) Layout consists of 10 turbines, with a maximum tip height of 149.9 m. This represents an amendment to the EIA Layout of 12 turbines. Comments from Historic Environment Scotland led to the removal of two turbines (T1 and T2), due to proximity to two scheduled monuments, and the relocation of another turbine (T6) to mitigate effects on the setting of Tulloch Mor Broch (SM593), with the added benefit of reducing the potential for impacts on the River Thurso Special Area of Conservation.
No further changes have been made to the Site boundary or layout since submission of the EIA Report.Key drivers to the design process have been:
The Applicant is Arise AB, an onshore wind power company based in Sweden founded in 2007. Arise AB is one of Sweden’s leading independent companies in renewable energy. Arise manages the entire value chain – from exploration and permitting, to financing, construction, divestment and longterm management and ownership of renewable electricity production.
Arise AB operate across northern and western Europe and a fully UK based team (Arise Renewable Energy UK Ltd) has been established since 2023. The company has previously been operating in Scotland since 2011, under guidance from the established Scottish based developer Lomond Energy. Arise AB has a portfolio of over 8,850 MW of renewable energy power developments, of which 2000MW is under its operational management, and 172MW is operating under Arise AB’s retained ownership.
The installed capacity of up to 62.8 MW (37.8 MW onshore wind and 25 MW battery storage) the Amended Development (2025) would make a valuable and nationally important contribution to the attainment of the UK and Scottish Government policies of encouraging renewable energy developments; and in turn contribute to the achievement of UK and Scottish Government renewable energy and net zero targets.
It is expected that the Amended Development (2025) would result in the production of approximately 5,298,048 MWh over its operational life, which equates to approximately 2,288,750 tonnes of CO2 emissions produced from fossil fuels that will no longer be emitted as a result.
The ‘payback period’ helps to define the overall benefit the development will have for the displacement of negative emissions, versus conventional electricity generation. The expected payback period for the Amended Development (2025), again if a fossil fuel mix of electricity generation were used as the counterfactual position, would be approximately 1.8 years.
The generation of renewable electricity would also make a positive contribution towards ensuring security of supply for Scotland and the UK.
The Applicant has committed to the Scottish Government best practice figure of £5,000 per installed MW per annum, which would be index linked for the operational lifetime of the project.
Based on a total installed turbine capacity of 38.8MW, the total community benefit fund would be around £189,000 per year. This would equate to £9.45 million over the 50 year operational lifetime of the development.
The Caithness Chamber of Commerce has been identified as a local partner to manage the community benefit fund and provide an opportunity to maximise the economic benefits across the Caithness region as experienced managers of various business fund initiatives and apprenticeships initiatives.
Arise undertook an additional community survey at the end of 2024 to identify local priorities in the area. Arise welcomes further and ongoing feedback regarding the community benefit fund and opportunities regarding shared ownership.
The Community benefit Fund Survey Report and Response Comments received can be viewed here:
Tormsdale CBF – Open Response Comments
In addition, Arise is committed to providing local businesses every possible opportunity to share in the financial and employment benefits of the entire lifetime of the Proposed Development, from construction to decommissioning.
The main contractor is likely to be Scotland-based, but it is assumed that whoever is appointed as the main contractor, that a significant proportion of the work will be carried out by sub-contractors and labour resident in the Highlands. As the project moves closer to construction, Arise will work with local businesses in understanding what opportunities are available for them to be involved in.
In addition to the embedded mitigation already deployed to avoid areas of high sensitivity habitats and peat as part of the layout evolution, additional survey work and assessment has been undertaken as part of the July 2025 update which identifies a significant peatland enhancement opportunity at the site and immediate surrounding area. The planned restoration work would include restoration of at least a 10x multiplier of the total predicted loss of blanket bog of degraded peatland habitat providing offset/compensation. Detailed assessment of the potential for drainage ditch blocking and reprofiling peat cuttings has identified peatland restoration opportunity area of approximately 112 Ha associated with the development which is well in excess of the compensation amount requested by guidance.
Additional biodiversity enhancement measures proposed include sitka spruce removal across the site area, pool creation, removal of fly tipping waste, and targeted management measures for birds.
As a result of the measures proposed significant positive effects are predicted to occur to peatland habitats at the site and surroundings, which include the Caithness and Sutherlands Peatland SAC and SPA, and River Thurso SAC designated areas. The development will make a positive contribution overall to the enhancement of biodiversity in accordance with relevant planning policy in response to the nature crises.
