Dumfries and Galloway council last week approved more than 65MW of new onshore wind projects.
The council gave the green light to the 12-turbine, 40.8MW Windy Rig farm, which developers Element Power claim will deliver enough electricity to power more than 20,000 homes.
Planning permission for the site was submitted in 2015, but only approved by the council on Thursday.
“We are delighted that the Planning Committee approved this proposal today,” Element Power project manager Stuart Davidson said today. “We have worked hard on the proposal for four years. We have worked closely with local communities, reflecting and acting on feedback from consultees and have refined our plans to make sure that they are acceptable. We look forward to continue working closely with the community and local businesses as we now take the scheme forward.”
As part of the development Element Power will deliver a community benefit fund for nine community councils in the local area to Windy Rig. The fund will provide around £200,000 every year to support community projects.
Meanwhile, Muirhall Energy also received planning approval for its 25.6MW project near Langholm last week, also by Dumfries and Galloway council.
The eight-turbine Loganhead wind farm will also have a community benefit package, worth £128,000 a year, alongside a 10 per cent shared ownership offering in the project.
“We are clearly delighted that the planning committee followed the officer’s recommendation to approve our planning application for Loganhead Wind Farm,” said Alastair Yule, senior development manager at Muirhall Energy.
“Throughout this whole process we worked constructively with all consultees to deliver a well-designed wind farm, sympathetic to the local landscape and environment. We would like to thank everyone who has supported the wind farm, and look forward to delivering the project in the near future.”
Source: businessgreen.com
