It’s been a very busy year for the European Environmental team at Boralex who presented their work and their findings to the inaugural Habitat Management Plan (HMP) Committee for Limekiln Wind Farm in Reay on 23rd April. This event was important in strengthening Boralex’s engagement with HMP measures amongst stakeholders, including landowners, statutory authorities and other key groups including the local Community Council.
For Boralex, holding this committee in person and on site was essential to ensure active listening and dialogue, and to benefit from the different perspectives and experience shared when discussing the Habitat Management Plan.
Biodiversity issues are considered right from the outset of our projects to minimise impacts on the environment – from the design phase of all Boralex projects, local ecological and environmental considerations are taken into account, and mitigation measures are put in place during construction and operation phase. Measures are implemented to contribute to nature preservation as we assess the performance of technologies and processes to protect biodiversity. The annual HMP Committee, a consent requirement, allows Boralex to report back and discuss the issues on site within a wider context, taking feedback directly from landowners, access users and protective bodies, and enabling the sharing of data and discussion of best practice.
The morning session included presentations on the management plan and its implementation, bird and bat monitoring and deer management as well as water quality assessments and discussion and agreement of priorities for 2026. Following an excellent lunch (thanks to Reay Golf Club), the committee headed up onto site to see some of the work in progress, helping bring context to the discussions held that morning. All agreed that it was a very successful and informative day.
Image shows those members of the HMP Committee present on the site visit.