SCOTTISH ministers have granted approval for a new wind farm in the Highlands.
SSE Renewables welcomed the decision to grant Section 36 planning consent for Cloiche onshore wind farm, located on the Glendoe and Garrogie Estates.
It is adjacent to the operational Stronelairg Wind Farm and Glendoe Hydroelectric Scheme, to the south-east of Fort Augustus.
The 29 turbine Cloiche Wind Farm is set to have an installed generation capacity of up to 125MW, enough renewable energy to typically power over 150,000 UK homes annually and offset over 190,000 tonnes of carbon per annum.
The wind farm site is also situated in an area of peatland affected by extreme erosion, resulting in the ongoing emission of stored carbon dioxide.
READ MORE: Number 10 'worried' amid letters of no confidence in Rishi Sunak
SSE Renewables, a developer and operator of renewable energy headquartered in Perth, said it plans to undertake long-term restoration of extensive areas of degraded peatland.
It added that, over the life of the wind farm, it expects to help meet Scottish Government targets for peatland restoration.
Heather Donald, the firm's director of onshore development and construction, said: “We welcome the decision made by the Scottish Government to grant consent for Cloiche Wind Farm. Onshore wind projects like Cloiche are critical to delivering the net zero transition, and have an essential role to play in decarbonising the UK’s energy supply.
“We have worked closely with the local community, listening carefully to people’s views, to ensure that we are considering local needs and priorities wherever possible. We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to share their feedback throughout the development of Cloiche Wind Farm. It has been central in helping us develop our proposals."
SSE Renewables is expected to progress the project through the final stages of development in preparation for a potential construction start in 2026.
Final delivery of the wind farm will be subject to the project securing a route to market, and a final investment decision.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel