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Campaigners fear over plan for further 2,000 wind turbines
Credit: The Sunday Post (Dundee), 12 Nov 2023 ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
Scotland is on course to almost double the number of onshore turbines to more than 7,500, with the number of wind farms set to increase to almost 600, it can be revealed.
Data obtained under Freedom of Information laws shows there are currently 334 operational Scottish onshore wind farms, running 4,273 turbines, with a further 29 wind farms currently under construction which are set to deliver an additional 640 turbines.
There are an additional 96 wind farm sites awaiting construction which will add another 1,058 turbines and there are also applications under consideration for a further 115 sites and 1,555 turbines.
As things stand, it means that there will be 7,526 turbines and 574 operational wind farms in Scotland when all of these projects are completed, fuelling claims by campaigners that Scotland’s “natural environment is being industrialised” at an alarming rate. Campaign group Scotland Against Spin claim even these figures are a “gross underestimation” and say that if the 1,555 at the live application stage are added to those at the early scoping stage of the planning process, the total would be more than 2,000 additional turbines.
Spokeswoman Aileen Campbell said: “The group is in possession of the most up-to-date data which includes pre-application and application figures for not just Section 36 wind farms decided by the Scottish
Ministers but also smaller wind farms of less than 50 megawatts, which are decided by local authorities.
“We believe the true figure is comfortably in excess of 2,000 turbines.”
SNP government policy in favour of wind farms is in marked contrast to that south of the border where there has been an effective ban on new onshore wind since 2015.
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