WIREDGOV

A new 27-turbine wind farm near New Cumnock in East Ayrshire has been granted consent, Energy Minister Fergus Ewing confirmed today.

Once complete the wind farm will have the potential to power the equivalent of almost 35,000 homes and generate community benefit funding of up to £9.2 million over its lifetime.

The proposed Afton wind farm, which will be developed by E.ON, will have a maximum generating capacity of around 74MW.

Mr Ewing said:

“The Afton wind farm will create jobs both in its construction, and during its lifetime. In addition it will bring up to £9.2 million of community benefit funding for East Ayrshire communities and be able to produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of almost 35,000 homes.

“I have imposed rigorous conditions on the consent to ensure that any impacts of the development on communities, the environment, our natural heritage and aviation are appropriately mitigated.

“Once it is up and running the wind farm will help reduce carbon emissions from electricity generation, aiding Scotland’s work to tackle climate change.

“We want to see the right developments in the right places. Design and location of any wind farm should reflect the scale of the landscape and should be considered environmentally acceptable.”