Renewable energy

The Scottish Government has committed to achieve Net Zero by 2045. One part of reaching this goal is renewable energy. Energy sources like wind and hydro create green electricity for everyday life. This combats the effects of climate change. All our schemes benefit local communities - some are community owned and run.

The income we receive from renewable sites goes into other programmes. This includes creating new woodland, visitor facilities and more.

Cutting emissions completely is not feasible. Net Zero means we’ll remove the same amount of carbon emissions from the atmosphere as we put in.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2045 is 5 years ahead of the rest of the UK. Renewable energy schemes provide energy with lower emissions. We also help by planting more trees and restoring peatland to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Below is a list detailing renewable energy schemes on the land we manage. We update twice a year. As a guide, 1,000 MW of generation can power around 600,000 homes.

We work with the private sector. The powers in the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill, allow us to form companies and establish joint ventures. We have staff to manage all aspects of renewable projects. Apart from one hydro scheme, we are the land manager and hold no stakes in renewable energy installations.

As land manager, we work with those who wish to develop sites for renewable energy. We're not the forestry regulator in Scotland. We follow rules set by Scottish Forestry, so there is a clear separation of functions. Any developments on land we manage are subject to published policies. These include the Scottish Government’s Policy on the Control of Woodland Removal and guidance for our staff. We aim to apply these policies to the land we manage in a strict manner.

We deliver government policy and work with stakeholders to manage our forests and land in a responsible way. We’ll continue to explore renewable energy opportunities on the land we manage. This will help us tackle the climate emergency.

Decisions on woodland removal and peat disturbance are made from assessing the information in an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The Scottish Government's Policy on Control of Woodland Removal sets the requirement for compensatory planting.

We seek to maintain woodland conditions around turbines. This is subject to the impact of tree growth on wildlife, turbine performance and energy yield. The Scottish Government publish guidance on calculating net carbon impacts on peat. Each development provides these calculations as part of the EIA and the carbon payback period is usually less than two years.

Routine management of forests continues around windfarm developments. This involves felling conifers, followed by replanting of both productive crops and broadleaves, with diversification of the forest to include more open areas. Agreements with developers also include ways to offset the environmental impact, usually a Habitat Management Plan. For example, these may be peatland restoration, watercourse management or additional broadleaf areas.

Developing renewable energy on FLS land will always be subject to planning rules and procedures and ultimately, it is up to the local planning authority, or Scottish Ministers for larger projects, to decide the acceptable price to be paid for clean energy. In many cases, developments give more access and bring forward environmental improvements.

Consultation

When an Option Agreement is awarded this provides exclusivity to a developer before time and money is spent exploring the possibility of a wind farm. Communities rightfully expect consultations to include sufficient details for them to form a view on proposals. When entering an Option Agreement these are not known. Therefore, we do not consult earlier than this.

The Option requires a developer to consult with the community at an early stage. Comments are also needed from statutory bodies, including the planning authority. All stakeholders have the chance to make their views known.

We’ll only grant a lease for a windfarm site if it has planning permission.

Renewable energy sites on our land are usually owned and operated by the developers. Some of these are community organisations. We currently own and operate one hydro scheme on land that was bought after it was built.

Income we receive from renewable energy sites goes into our other programmes. This includes creating new woodland, managing visitor facilities and more.