LOCALS can have their say on a £50 million plan for a solar farm and battery storage facility between Lochgelly and Auchtertool.
The site is next to Glenniston Farm, south of the town and the A92, and the aim is to generate enough 'green' energy to meet the power demands of 18,000 homes.
It also includes a cash benefit for local communities with the offer of £600 per mega watt of solar generation capacity, which would add up to more than £23,000 per year to be spent on good causes for the 40-year lifetime of the project.
The Glenniston Solar Project is a joint venture between Edinburgh-based renewable energy developer Locogen Ltd and Renewco Power Ltd and, after holding a public consultation in July last year, they'll hold another event in Auchtertool on Thursday August 17.
Stuart Hamilton, from Locogen Ltd, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who attended our previous event and submitted comments.
"It was incredibly valuable to meet the local community and hear first-hand feedback on our proposals.
“We are looking forward to receiving additional feedback on our updated Glenniston proposals, as well as on the management and distribution of our community benefit offer.
"We are focused on a collaborative approach with local stakeholders to ensure the community benefit package best aligns with the community’s needs and requirements.”
Last year Locogen said that harnessing the power of the sun can help prevent "the natural disasters" that arise from climate change.
The proposed development will have a capacity of 39MW solar generation and 10MW of battery storage.
It will have the potential to generate around 52.3GWh (giga watt hours) of green energy per year, equivalent to the annual demand of around 18,000 homes.
Locogen said this would add up to around 23,000 tonnes of annual carbon dioxide savings.
Based on 2023 prices, the project is expected to pay business rates to Fife Council of £2.4 million over the project lifespan and is expected to create opportunities for local business to support in terms of groundwork, landscaping, civil engineering and construction contracts.
An initial public consultation about the proposals took place in July 2022.
The company said: "Unfortunately, progress has been slower than we would have liked due to delays from National Grid.
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"Now that this has been resolved, we are planning our second public event."
After acting on the feedback received from the first event, they will now present the updated proposals on August 17.
The plans will be available to view and representatives on hand to answer questions at between 3pm and 7pm in Auchtertool Village Hall, which is on the Main Street.
Clara Thompson, senior developer at Renewco Power Ltd, said: “We would strongly encourage all those with an interest in the proposals to come along.
"The involvement of the local community remains a priority and we look forward to having further discussions regarding the proposals over the coming weeks.”
Those unable to attend the consultation event can view project information and provide comments online at https://locogen.com/glenniston-solar-project/
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