A new wind farm, consisting of 67 turbines, has been approved by the Scottish Government, it has been announced.

The development near Fort Augustus will power the equivalent of up to 114,000 homes in the area and generate up to £30m of benefits to the local community.

The Stronelairg wind farm will be developed by SSE Renewables on the Garrogie Estate in the Highlands and will have a maximum generating capacity of around 242MW. More than 100 jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase.

Initially, the proposals were for 83 turbines to be erected, but 16 were refused consent by Energy Minister Fergus Ewing due to concerns surrounding landscape and visual impacts.

-- Advertisement --

Elsewhere, a second wind farm – the 21-turbine Newfield wind farm near Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway has been rejected planning consent. It was refused on the grounds of "unacceptable adverse visual, landscape and cumulative impacts".

Making the announcement, Minister Ewing said: "The Stronelairg wind farm will create jobs both in its construction, and during its lifetime. Once it is up and running, the wind farm will save thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, and will be able to produce enough electricity to power thousands of homes in the Highlands.

"As well as bringing benefits to the local community, the Stronelairg wind farm will also benefit the wider Highland region through the provision of a Sustainable Development Fund. Wind farms, like Stronelairg, play an important part in helping Scotland reach its target of the equivalent of 100% of electricity demand generated from renewables."

He added: "We want to see the right developments in the right places. That is why I have refused permission for the proposed wind farm at Newfield, which would have brought unacceptable impacts on the landscape."

(JP/MH)