It has been suggested that enough electricity to power 40% of homes in the Midlothian region could be generated by the 12 turbine wind farm planned for the area.

Renewable energy developer, Wind Prospect, hopes to build the wind farm at the Mount Lothian site, which is part of the Penicuik Estate.

The company favours the site due to its remote location and lack of environmental designations.

Located more than 3.5 miles from the nearest boundary of Pentland Regional Park, the area has average wind speeds of 7.5 metres per second.

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If approved, the project would generate up to 58,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity per year - enough to power 14,000 homes.

Wind Prospect also aim to offset up to 35,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year, and plans to give £48,000 per year to support local community initiatives, or £1.2m over the project's lifetime.

The turbines to be used on the site would have a hub height of 65 metres and a maximum height to blade tip of 105 metres.

Wind Prospect senior development manager, Colin Williams, said: "Our proposals for Mount Lothian are still at a very early stage of development and we will not be submitting a planning application for at least another year.

"However, we are keen to engage with the local community at this early stage of the process so they have a real opportunity to provide input and to help shape our plans for the site."

(JG)