Solar, wind and battery projects near Thurso (KW14)
21 solar, wind or battery projects of 150 kW or more are recorded within 10 km of the centre of KW14 (Highland): 2 are waiting for a planning decision, 7 approved but not yet running, 5 operational. The largest live scheme is Buckies Farm (49.9 MW battery storage, application submitted on 5 February 2026, no decision recorded), 3.0 km away. Offshore, 2 wind farms are recorded within 40 km; the nearest is Dounreay Trì Floating Wind Demonstration (10 MW, under construction), 22.3 km away. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, July 2026 extract.
Projects within 10 km of KW14
Projects of 1 MW and more (18)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated | Council | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkton Energy Farmwind farm | wind farm | 52.8 | refusedupdated May 2026 | Nov 2022 | refused Jan 2026 | May 2026 | Highland | 0.1 |
| Kirkton Energy Farmbattery storage | battery storage | 20 | refusedupdated May 2026 | Nov 2022 | refused Jan 2026 | May 2026 | Highland | 0.1 |
| Buckies Farmbattery storage | battery storage | 49.9 | application submittedupdated Mar 2026 | Feb 2026 | — | Mar 2026 | Highland | 3.0 |
| Stainland Energy Storage Projectbattery storage | battery storage | 49.9 | approved, not builtupdated Jan 2025 | May 2022 | granted Nov 2022 | Jan 2025 | Highland | 3.5 |
| Geiselittle Farmbattery storage | battery storage | 49.9 | approved, not builtupdated Nov 2025 | Aug 2024 | granted Aug 2025 | Nov 2025 | Highland | 3.5 |
| Cairnmore Hill Wind Farmwind farm | wind farm | 21 | refusedupdated Mar 2025 | Sep 2022 | refused Feb 2025 | Mar 2025 | Highland | 4.5 |
| Buckies Hill Wind Farmwind farm | wind farm | 4.5 | refusedupdated May 2015 | Nov 2014 | refused Apr 2015 | May 2015 | Highland | 5.5 |
| Hill of Lieurarywind farm | wind farm | 8 | refusedupdated May 2006 | Jul 2003 | refused Sep 2005 | May 2006 | Highland | 6.4 |
| Hill of Lybster (Wind Turbine - Extension)wind turbine | wind turbine | 1.5 | operationalupdated Oct 2018 | Oct 2017 | granted Aug 2018 | Oct 2018 | Highland | 7.4 |
| Baillie Wind Farmwind farm | wind farm | 52.5 | operationalupdated May 2013 | Jul 2004 | granted Jan 2010 | May 2013 | Highland | 7.5 |
| Forss Wind Farmwind farm | wind farm | 4.5 | application submitted may be out of dateupdated Jan 2022 | Nov 2020 | — | Jan 2022 | Highland | 7.6 |
| Forss Extension (Forss III)wind farm | wind farm | 6.5 | refused on appealupdated Jan 2013 | Oct 2010 | refused Oct 2011 | Jan 2013 | Highland | 7.8 |
| Lythmore House, Technology Park Forssbattery storage | battery storage | 49.9 | approved, not builtupdated Sep 2025 | Nov 2024 | granted Aug 2025 | Sep 2025 | Highland | 7.8 |
| Hillcrest Cottage, Shebsterbattery storage | battery storage | 19.9 | approved, not built may be out of dateupdated Sep 2022 | Dec 2021 | granted Aug 2022 | Sep 2022 | Highland | 7.8 |
| Forss Wind Farm (Extension)wind farm | wind farm | 5.2 | operationalupdated May 2016 | Jan 2005 | granted Oct 2006 | May 2016 | Highland | 7.9 |
| Hill of Lybsterwind farm | wind farm | 4.9 | operationalupdated Jun 2010 | Apr 2000 | granted Jun 2001 | Jun 2010 | Highland | 7.9 |
| Forss Wind Farmwind farm | wind farm | 2.6 | operationalupdated Jun 2018 | Jan 2001 | — | Jun 2018 | Highland | 7.9 |
| South Shebsterwind farm | wind farm | 10 | refusedupdated Mar 2009 | Dec 2005 | refused Jan 2009 | Mar 2009 | Highland | 9.4 |
Smaller schemes under 1 MW, mostly rooftop solar (3)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated | Council | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarry Braerooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.7 | approved, not builtupdated Dec 2025 | Aug 2025 | granted Oct 2025 | Dec 2025 | Highland | 8.1 |
| Loch Calder Water Treatment Works, Quarry Braesolar farm | solar farm | 0.3 | approved, not builtupdated May 2026 | Jan 2026 | granted Mar 2026 | May 2026 | Highland | 8.1 |
| Loch Calder Water Treatment Workrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.7 | approved, not builtupdated Oct 2025 | Aug 2025 | granted Sep 2025 | Oct 2025 | Highland | 8.7 |
Distance from the average position of the KW14 postcodes, not from your home. Projects of 5 MW and more have their own page with dates and planning history.
By type
| Type | All | Pending | Approved | Operational | Refused | MW in pipeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar farm | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 |
| Rooftop solar | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 |
| Wind farm | 11 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Wind turbine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Battery storage | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 220 |
MW in pipeline: pending, approved and under-construction capacity.
Offshore wind farms within 40 km
| Wind farm | MW | Status (REPD) | km |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dounreay Trì Floating Wind Demonstration | 10 | under constructionupdated Dec 2019 | 22.3 |
| West of Orkney Wind Farm | 2,000 | approved, not builtupdated Jul 2025 | 36.9 |
Operational, approved and pending offshore wind farms; distance from the district centre to the REPD grid reference of each wind farm (one point per site, so the nearest turbines can be closer or further). All offshore wind farms in UK waters.
How Highland decides solar, wind and battery applications
| Applications | Highland | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 160 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 68 (42%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 0 of 15 | 12% |
| Onshore wind refused | 61 of 114 | 45% |
| Battery storage refused | 7 of 31 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 52.3 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 20 / 20 | — |
Is the status up to date?
32% of applications still shown as pending in REPD were submitted more than two years ago, and only 37% of pending records were updated in the last 12 months, so some of them may already have been decided. Near KW14, 2 projects have a status that may be out of date (pending for over two years, or approved with a permission expiry date already passed). Check the council's planning register for the latest decision.