Eskdalemuir Seismic Array

Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is a seismological monitoring station in the Scottish Borders which forms part of the UK’s obligations under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The array’s operation can be compromised by excessive seismic noise in the vicinity, which can be produced by wind turbines operating around the array.

In May 2005 the Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a technical site direction with a safeguarding map to relevant planning authorities in England and Scotland as well as Scottish Ministers. This direction advised that any sites within 50km of the array would require consultation with MoD before determination. This 50km radius is often referred to as the ‘consultation zone’.

The Scottish Government's Eskdalemuir Working Group is working to resolve issues with the development of onshore wind within the consultation zone. A summary of these issues can be found in Section 7.2 of the Scottish Government's Onshore Wind Policy Statement.

To inform the development of the draft guidance, work has been completed with Xi Engineering to ascertain the impact of an exclusion zone and the various possible Seismic Impact Limits (SILs) on the existing project pipeline. This work will enables the Working Group to understand the implications for the projects within the consultation zone. The purpose of this work is to ensure the decision on the size of the exclusion zone and the SIL is based on a full understanding of the implications.

The 2026 Eskdalemuir consultation was released on March 18 and closes on May 15. On March 23, SR hosted a meeting for members in which Xi Engineering presented a technical update on the SIL and the industry tool as context for the live consultation.

Eskdalemuir Consultation Annexes

The following documents are annexes to the Eskdalemuir consultation published on March 20, 2026.

Industry Tool

Annex 4 - Standardised Measurement of Operational Wind Turbine Seismic Noise

Annex 5 - LATT Coefficients

Annex 6 - Example Seismic Ground Vibration Report

Annex 7 - Example Output - Approved Turbine List, SIL Compliant

Annex 8 - Example Output - Approved Turbines List SIL, Non-Compliant

Annex 9 - Example Output - MOD LATT, SIL Compliant

Annex 10 - Example Output - MOD LATT, SIL Non-Compliant

Annex 11 - Standardised Measurement of Baseline Seismic Noise

Scottish Renewables Eskdalemuir Roadmap

Scottish Renewables has created an Eskdalemuir Roadmap, which consolidates the available information on the interlinked workstreams required to unlock Eskdalemuir and presents an order of priority.

Eskdalemuir Seismic Array

Eskdalemuir Consultation Annexes

Scottish Renewables Eskdalemuir Roadmap

Working Group Documentation

Eskdalemuir Reports

Working Group Minutes