Planning permission for a 22-turbine wind farm in West Lothian has been approved by Energy Minister Fergus Ewing.

The Harburnhead development, located near West Calder, will create around 80 jobs during the construction phase of the project. Upon completion, it will have a total generating capacity of up to 66 MW of electricity, which is enough to power the equivalent of up to 31,000 homes.

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It is thought the development will also generate around £9m for the local economy once it is operational.

The developer, Enel Viento S.L is behind the project and will work alongside West Calder and the Harburn Community Development Trust to provide a community fund that will support local projects throughout the operational life of the wind farm.

While Minister Ewing approved the above wind farm, he turned down permission for a similar sized development in the same area. An application for the 21-turbine Fauch Hill wind farm, also near West Calder, was refused due to "unacceptable adverse visual and landscape impacts".

(JP/IT)