Solar farm mooted for Thurso farm site
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Farmland to the west of Thurso is being earmarked for what would be the first commercial solar farm in the far north.
Qair Scotland Ltd is in the early stages of examining the potential of a scheme which could produce up to 100 megawatts of power, together with 100 megawatts of battery storage.
The ground at Lythmore Farm, Westfield is one of three Scottish sites the company – the Scottish arm of the French-based Qair renewable energy giant – is looking to develop solar power ventures.
It has lodged a pre-planning notice with Highland Council and is in the throes of carrying out a range of studies to support its bid.
The land, 1400 metres north-east of Lythmore Farmhouse, sits in a basin and the company believes the arrays of solar panels will blend in well with their surroundings.
Qair has submitted a scoping request to the council which will determine whether the development needs to be subject to a full environmental impact assessment.
Prior to the submission of a planning application, expected early next year, the Edinburgh-based team plans to stage an exhibition of the scheme in the area.
A Qair Scotland spokesperson said: "We're at an early developmental stage but we will be outlining more details as our plans firm up."
The Shearer family, which owns the ground, yesterday confirmed it has had discussions with Qair about the proposed solar farm.
