SSE has lodged a Section 36 consent variation application with the Scottish Government to amend the existing approval for its Tangy Wind Farm Repower project.

The wind farm lies about 9km northwest of Campbeltown on the west coast of the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll and Bute. The current 22-turbine, 18.7MW site, which began operating in 2003, is nearing the end of its operational life.

In 2019, SSE Renewables received consent from the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit (ECU) to repower Tangy with a new 16-turbine scheme and associated infrastructure. However, since that consent was issued, rising supply chain costs and the discontinuation by manufacturers of the originally selected replacement turbine model mean the project cannot proceed as first approved.

SSE Renewables is therefore seeking to vary the 2019 consent to deliver a 96MW wind farm at Tangy Repower, using newer, more efficient turbines with tip heights of up to 200 metres and making minor refinements to the site layout.

The application follows extensive local engagement by the project team with statutory stakeholders, community councils and residents, including public exhibitions held across South Kintyre in August 2025 and March 2026.

If consented, the project is expected to support progress towards a cleaner, more affordable and secure homegrown energy system for Scotland and the UK, while delivering long-term economic, environmental and social value for Argyll and Bute during construction and operation.

Independent research undertaken for SSE by BiGGAR Economics, submitted with the variation application, indicates the Tangy Repower scheme would generate multi-million-pound economic benefits for both Scotland and the Argyll and Bute area. Over the wind farm's operational lifetime, it is estimated to contribute around £4.3 million in gross value added (GVA) to Scotland, supporting 44 jobs across the country, with £1.3 million in GVA and 12 jobs retained locally in Argyll and Bute.

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Should the project be consented and delivered, SSE would establish a Community Benefit Fund worth up to £480,000 a year to support local priorities and community-led projects. This would build on more than £300,000 already provided over the past 23 years from the existing Tangy Wind Farm, including support to the Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency (ALIenergy) for affordable warmth initiatives, fuel poverty alleviation, education and skills development, and its affordable warmth advice service.

Final delivery of Tangy Repower would remain subject to planning consent for the wind farm, separate consent for a new grid connection route, securing a commercial route to market and a final investment decision.

Ian Stewart, Tangy Repower Project Manager at SSE Renewables, said: "Tangy Repower is an opportunity to build on the success of the existing wind farm which has operated here at this site for over two decades and to significantly increase the amount of renewable electricity generated at the site.

"We are grateful to the many members of the community who participated in our consultation process, and the feedback we received has helped shape this application.

"If consented, the project could also deliver significant socio-economic benefits, including a community benefit fund of up to £480,000 annually, supporting local priorities and community-led projects across the area."

The consent variation application documents can be viewed at www.energyconsents.scot (ECU application reference: ECU00006203) and at www.sserenewables.com/tangy-repower. Hard copies of key documents are also available for in-person inspection, free of charge during normal office hours, at the following locations:

- Argyll and Bute Council, Customer Service Point, 1A Manse Brae, Lochgilphead, PA31 8RD (Monday to Friday: 9am–5pm).

- Chair of West Kintyre Community Council, Birchfield, Whitehouse, By Tarbert, PA29 6XS (viewing by appointment; call 07506 833280).

- Campbeltown Library, Aqualibrium, Kinloch Road, Campbeltown, PA28 6EH (Tuesday 9.30am–4.30pm; Wednesday & Thursday 9.30am–6.30pm; Friday & Saturday 9.30am–1.30pm).

- Carradale Village Hall, Carradale, PA28 6QG (Monday–Friday 9am–5pm; weekend viewings by arrangement on 07884 470460).

Copies of the variation application documents may be obtained from SSE Generation Limited, FAO Onshore Development Team, 1 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6AY or by emailing [email protected], priced at £1,500 for a hard copy and £15 on USB storage; a short Non-Technical Summary is available free of charge.

Representations on the application can be submitted via www.energyconsents.scot using the project name and/or ECU reference ECU00006203 (a working email address is required). Postal representations may be sent to: Scottish Government, Energy Consents Unit, 4th Floor, 5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw, Glasgow, G2 8LU. Submissions should identify the proposal, set out the grounds for representation, be dated, and clearly state the name (in block capitals) and full postal address of the sender.

All representations should be received no later than Monday 24 August 2026, although Ministers may consider representations received after this date.