Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey
Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey was paid £17m last year to switch off its wind farms, because the wires south were full. That would cover every local household's electricity for 213 days. A further 642 MW of approved clean power (almost all onshore wind) is still waiting to be built here: enough to supply a year's electricity to 523,000 homes. A 50 MW battery approved at Clash Gour in 2022 would store power that is currently wasted; it has not been built.
The waiting list
Every approved, unbuilt project
| Site | Technology | Enough for | Capacity | Approved | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clash Gour | Wind Onshore | 197,000 homes | 225.0 MW | 2022-04 | 4.3 yrs |
| Rothes Wind Farm III | Wind Onshore | 115,000 homes | 132.0 MW | 2022-10 | 3.8 yrs |
| Cairn Duhie Wind Farm | Wind Onshore | 59,000 homes | 67.2 MW | 2024-02 | 2.5 yrs |
| Milltown Airfield (Speyslaw) | Solar Photovoltaics | 18,000 homes | 50.0 MW | 2018-05 | 8.2 yrs |
| Garbet Windfarm - Wind Farm & Storage facility | Wind Onshore | 40,000 homes | 46.2 MW | 2022-09 | 3.9 yrs |
| Berry Burn Wind Farm (extension) | Wind Onshore | 33,000 homes | 37.8 MW | 2021-12 | 4.6 yrs |
| Tom Na Clach - Wind Farm Extension | Wind Onshore | 28,000 homes | 31.5 MW | 2024-05 | 2.2 yrs |
| Pauls Hill 2 | Wind Onshore | 24,000 homes | 28.0 MW | 2020-12 | 5.6 yrs |
| Speyslaw Solar Farm | Solar Photovoltaics | 7,300 homes | 20.0 MW | 2017-08 | 9.0 yrs |
| Craigellachie Biomass CHP Plant, Craigellachie- Solar Farm | Solar Photovoltaics | 1,500 homes | 4.0 MW | 2024-01 | 2.6 yrs |
Plus 3 more approved within the last two years.
Batteries
| Site | Size | Status | While discharging |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clash Gour | 50 MW | approved, not built 2022 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Ourack | 50 MW | approved, not built 2025 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Househill House, Househill - Battery Storage | 50 MW | approved, not built 2023 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Loanhead Farm - Battery Energy Storage System | 50 MW | in planning | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Grigorhill Cottage, Grigorhill - Battery Energy Storage | 50 MW | approved, not built 2026 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Blackpark Energy Storage | 30 MW | approved, not built 2020 | could supply ≈105,000 homes |
| Blackpark House - Battery Storage | 30 MW | approved, not built 2025 | could supply ≈105,000 homes |
| Bishopmill - Battery Energy Storage | 30 MW | approved, not built 2023 | could supply ≈105,000 homes |
| Kellas Wind Farm | 30 MW | approved, not built 2026 | could supply ≈105,000 homes |
| Craig Watch - Wind Farm & Battery Storage | 27 MW | in planning | could supply ≈96,000 homes |
| Dorenell Extension Wind Farm | 20 MW | in planning | could supply ≈70,000 homes |
| Blackhills Wind Farm | 20 MW | in planning | could supply ≈70,000 homes |
Wind farms paid to switch off
| Site | Paid, 12 months | Energy lost | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorenell Wind Farm (Previously Site A and B Scaut Hill) | £13m | a year of 112,000 homes' electricity | medium |
| Paul's Hill and Extension | £2.0m | a year of 8,900 homes' electricity | high |
| Rothes Wind (Cairn Uish) | £1.2m | a year of 5,600 homes' electricity | medium |
| Rothes Wind Farm (Extension) (II) | £1.0m | a year of 4,600 homes' electricity | medium |
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 Graham Leadbitter said about the grid in Parliament? Search Hansard →