The Scottish government has granted planning permission for two onshore wind farms in South Ayrshire with a combined capacity of around 152 megawatts (MW), officials said on Thursday.
Energiekontor’s 92.4 MW Craiginmoddie project, located near Barr and Daily, was approved for 14 turbines with tip heights of 200 metres. Statkraft’s 59.4 MW Knockronal site, near Straiton, received consent for nine turbines with a mix of 200-metre and 180-metre tips.
Both projects were considered through public inquiries after objections from South Ayrshire Council. They were assessed alongside ScottishPower Renewables’ 79 MW Carrick project in a co-joined inquiry, which ministers said was undertaken for “public interest and efficiency” reasons.
Planning permission for Carrick was refused due to “cumulative landscape and cumulative visual effects as well as significant adverse night-time visual impacts” on the Galloway Dark Sky Park. Ministers noted that “although many of the environmental impacts could be overcome by way of mitigation or would be overall acceptable when balanced against the net economic benefits and the renewable energy benefits that would be delivered if [Carrick] were to be deployed, the likely significant individual and cumulative landscape and visual impacts impacting on the Dark Sky Park would not.”
Applications for all three wind farms were first submitted in 2021, and the approvals mark a notable step in the Scottish government’s renewable energy planning process.
