Manx Utilities has issued a long-awaited update on the Cair Vie windfarm project.

Last week, Arbory and Rushen Commissioners chair Kirrie Jenkins said the lack of information surrounding the Cair Vie windfarm had been ‘disappointing’.

She claimed there had been no updates on Manx Utilities’ Earystane project since March last year and residents had been left in a ‘void’.

However, Manx Utilities has now released a fresh update on the controversial scheme.

In a statement, it said: ‘Work on the Cair Vie onshore windfarm project continues at an early, pre-application stage, and no planning application has yet been submitted.

‘Ecological and technical assessments have been underway since 2024 to support the development of a robust, evidence-based planning submission.

‘A planning application is being prepared and will be submitted to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture’s Planning and Building Control Directorate. Once submitted, all documentation will be made available for public scrutiny through the planning system.

‘Manx Utilities is currently focused on finalising and collating the documents which will comprise the planning submission.

‘No project elements have been approved or procured, and no construction or delivery commitments can be made without the necessary statutory approvals, including planning consent and consideration by Tynwald.’

Manx Utilities insists consultation and dialogue will continue throughout the process.

The authority said: ‘We will continue to engage with stakeholders, including local MHKs and statutory consultees at the appropriate times as the project progresses.

‘Further engagement with local residents will take place, and advance notice will be provided when the application is submitted, including details on how to view the documentation and participate in the consultation process.

‘Information will be shared at the appropriate stage, once proposals are sufficiently developed to support meaningful engagement and proper scrutiny by all stakeholders.’

Arbory and Rushen Commissioners recently wrote to Tynwald members urging them to ‘scrutinise’ Manx Utilities’ proposals before formal processes ‘limit’ their ability to engage.

‘The purpose of the letter is to make sure there is full transparency, proper process and clearer information before decisions are made,’ Mrs Jenkins said.

‘We don’t have confirmed turbine locations, cable routes or the full infrastructure impacts, and that makes proper scrutiny very difficult.’

The £36 million windfarm proposal was originally expected to be submitted for planning approval in January 2025, but the application was later deferred to allow for further environmental work.

Mrs Jenkins said: ‘These steps need to be taken early, and if scrutiny is left too late, when positions have already started to solidify, we won’t get a good outcome.’

The Cair Vie proposal centres on a site at Earystane and Scard in the south of the island, identified in 2023 by the Manx Utilities Authority as its preferred location for a new 20MW onshore wind project.

However, the plans have faced sustained opposition, with campaigners from the Cair Vie Resistance Group repeatedly raising concerns about the potential impact on the environment and local wildlife.