Gordon and Buchan
Gordon and Buchan was paid £120k last year to switch off its wind farms, because the wires south were full. That would cover every local household's electricity for 39 hours. A further 107 MW of approved clean power (mostly onshore wind) is still waiting to be built here: enough to supply a year's electricity to 83,000 homes. A 300 MW battery approved at Kintore Battery Energy Storage Project in 2025 would store power that is currently wasted; it has not been built. A 50 MW battery was refused planning here in 2026; while discharging it could have supplied about 175,000 homes.
The waiting list
Every approved, unbuilt project
| Site | Technology | Enough for | Capacity | Approved | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clashindarroch 2 | Wind Onshore | 67,000 homes | 77.0 MW | 2023-08 | 3.0 yrs |
| Kincraig - Solar Farm and battery storage system | Solar Photovoltaics | 7,600 homes | 21.0 MW | 2022-10 | 3.8 yrs |
| Land to the north west of Hill of Petty | Wind Onshore | 3,100 homes | 3.6 MW | 2016-02 | 10.5 yrs |
| Cairnbrogie Farm, Oldmeldrum - Wind Farm | Wind Onshore | 3,100 homes | 3.6 MW | 2023-12 | 2.6 yrs |
| Meikleton of Ardonald | Wind Onshore | 900 homes | 1.0 MW | 2023-10 | 2.8 yrs |
| Donald Russell, Carnie Road - Solar PV Panels | Solar Photovoltaics | 300 homes | 0.8 MW | 2024-01 | 2.5 yrs |
| Oeg offshore, Tofthills Way - Solar Panels | Solar Photovoltaics | 100 homes | 0.2 MW | 2023-06 | 3.1 yrs |
Plus 3 more approved within the last two years.
Batteries
| Site | Size | Status | While discharging |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbotshaugh Battery Storage | 500 MW | in planning | could supply ≈1,752,000 homes |
| Rothienorman, Middleton of Blackhills - BESS | 500 MW | in planning | could supply ≈1,752,000 homes |
| Kintore Battery Energy Storage Project | 300 MW | approved, not built 2025 | could supply ≈1,051,000 homes |
| Womblehill Farm, Kintore - Battery Energy Storage System | 200 MW | in planning | could supply ≈701,000 homes |
| Kinmuck Battery Energy Storage | 105 MW | approved, not built 2025 | could supply ≈368,000 homes |
| Clashindarroch Wind Farm Extension | 50 MW | approved, not built 2025 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Fordtown Energy Storage | 50 MW | approved, not built 2021 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Rothienorman - Battery Storage | 50 MW | approved, not built 2022 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| South Leylodge Farmhouse, Kintore - Battery Energy Storage System | 50 MW | approved, not built 2023 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Overhill Farm, Rothienorman - Battery Energy Storage | 50 MW | being built 2023 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Kintore Substation, Leylodge - Battery Energy Storage | 50 MW | approved, not built 2024 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Fairfield - Battery Energy Storage System | 50 MW | refused 2026 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
Wind farms paid to switch off
| Site | Paid, 12 months | Energy lost | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glens of Foudland | £120k | a year of 400 homes' electricity | high |
What this page does not show
The switch-off figure covers the big wind farms on the national grid only; smaller farms on the local grid are switched off invisibly, so it is a floor. Offshore wind is counted nationally, never per seat. The planning database can run a quarter behind reality.
Electricity does not travel from a particular project to particular houses. Everything generated goes into the national grid and everyone draws from that shared pool, so "enough for X homes" is a way of sizing the electricity — not a claim that these homes would be powered by this site. Battery storage is counted separately from generation: it moves power in time rather than making it.
Planning statuses come from the government's planning database (REPD), which records what was decided and when, but not why. Where a project was refused we say so and name the authority; for the reasons, look up the planning reference on that council's own register. How to check any figure on this page →
What has Harriet Cross said about the grid in Parliament? Search Hansard →