A NEW wind farm in East Ayrshire has been approved by the Scottish Government – promising a host of benefits to the community as well as generating clean, green electricity.
Banks Renewables is delighted that its Lethans Wind Farm, east of New Cumnock, has been given the go-ahead.
Approval means their 22 turbines – at a maximum tip height of 220m, the tallest turbines granted planning permission in Scotland to date – will have a maximum output of up to 105.6MW.
Robin Winstanley, sustainability and external affairs manager at Banks Renewables, said: “As well as being a meaningful advance in Scotland’s green energy agenda, approval for Lethans will also deliver real, deep and long-lasting benefits to the local people, the environment and to the economy of East Ayrshire.”
Among the benefits will be a £1.3m skills and training fund to support up to 440 local, unemployed people to get into work or training.
Robin Winstanley added: “Over the 30 years of its lifespan, Lethans will contribute at least £7.1m into a local community benefit fund and another £7.1m to East Ayrshire Council’s Renewable Energy Fund.”
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