AN ONSHORE wind farm development that would provide clean electricity to meet the needs of 21,000 homes each year has been given the green light.
Banks Renewables’ planning application to build some of the UK’s most effective onshore wind turbines at Mill Rig Wind Farm, near Darvel, has now been approved by South Lanarkshire Council and is on course to become operational within three years.
Mill Rig will play host to six powerful wind turbines with an installed generation capacity of around 36MW - enough to meet the electricity needs of all the households in a town around the size of East Kilbride.
In addition to the generation of vital clean, green electricity, Banks Renewables’ £40million project will displace over 18,000 tonnes of CO2 annually from the UK’s electricity supply grid, the equivalent of removing almost 7000 petrol cars from the road.
READ MORE: Seagreen: Scotland's biggest offshore wind farm starts energy production
Robin Winstanley, sustainability and external affairs manager at Banks Renewables, said: “To gain planning permission is a major milestone for Mill Rig. The development will bring many social, environmental and community benefits to the local area and we’re delighted South Lanarkshire Council has approved these exciting plans.”
The Hamilton-based renewables company has consulted with the community throughout the planning process and will set up a local community fund which is expected to create up to £180,000 in revenue annually.
The local economy will benefit from local contracts worth £11.7 million during construction, with business rates of £18m expected to be injected into public coffers, in addition to supporting many jobs over the lifetime of the development.
READ MORE: Call for Scottish ‘renewables revolution’ after climate change-fuelled heatwave
Robin added: “By working closely with the surrounding community, this project will help Scotland generate much-needed clean, green electricity as well as provide local people and groups with funding to support the growth of important initiatives that benefit the communities close to Mill Rig Wind Farm.
“With the next steps of detailed design and construction, Mill Rig Wind Farm is on track to help Scotland achieve its ambitious net-zero targets, bolstering the UK’s energy security by producing green electricity by 2025.”
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