July 9, 2014
Scotland

Energy Minister approves 22-turbine wind farm proposal for West Lothian

By Scott McCulloch | Jul 08, 2014 | www.dailyrecord.co.uk

The Scottish Government has approved plans for a 22-turbine wind farm development in West Lothian.

The Harburnhead development, near West Calder, is expected will support up to 80 jobs during construction, and when complete will have a generating capacity of up to 66 megawatts of electricity – enough to power the equivalent of up to 31,000 homes.

Developer, Enel Viento S.L, in partnership with West Calder and Harburn Community Development Trust, has agreed to provide a community fund to support local projects throughout the operational life of the wind farm.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has also rejected a planning application for the proposed 21-turbine Fauch Hill wind farm, also near West Calder, on the grounds of unacceptable adverse visual and landscape impacts.

Ewing said: “The Harburnhead wind farm will create jobs both in its construction and during its lifetime, and will be able to produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 31,000 homes in West Lothian.

“The community fund that has been offered by the developer will bring considerable benefits to the local community.

“Scotland is already providing over a third of the UK’s renewable electricity generation and helping to keep the lights on across our islands at a time where there is an increasingly tight gap between electricity supply and demand.

“We want to see the right developments in the right places, and that is why I have refused permission for the proposed wind farm at Fauch Hill, which I consider would have brought unacceptable impacts on the landscape, particularly the Pentland hills.”


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/07/09/energy-minister-approves-22-turbine-wind-farm-proposal-for-west-lothian/