Scottish Wind Farm Lands Approval

Scotland should soon gain another boost of clean wind power generation.The Highland Council granted planning permission for ScottishPower’s proposed 30 MW windfarm at Beinn Tharsuinn near Alness, in Easter Ross.

Edinburgh, Scotland – August 19, 2004 [SolarAccess.com] “We have put painstaking effort into re-designing Beinn Tharsuinn, including demonstrating how the turbines can be delivered safely to site and a comprehensive traffic management strategy,” Project manager John Alexander said. Developers say the 17-turbine wind farm, expected to be operational in late 2005, will save 60,000 tones of CO2 emissions each year and so help in the UK’s drive against global warming. “This project will produce clean green energy for around 18,000 local homes and will also be a major step in our target of substantially increasing renewable energy production by 2010,” Alexander said. “It follows recent planning approval for our Black Law windfarm, near Edinburgh, which at 143MW will be the largest in the UK.” Revised plans were submitted following Highland Council’s advice in April when councilors asked for amendments to be made before making a further submission. The new plan significantly reduces the visual impact of the wind farm. Local suppliers will be encouraged to enter into the tendering process which will include contracts for site construction. ScottishPower has agreed a substantial community benefits package which will directly support a range of local projects in East Sutherland and Easter Ross.