High-flying Scottish wind farm site extension approved

A PROPOSAL for a wind farm extension that will provide more than 80,000 homes with electricity has been given the green-light.

Taking feedback from community consultations onboard, OnPath Energy (formally known as Banks Renewables) will be installing a further 10 turbines without a single public objection. The additional turbines which are up to 251m tall and up to 170m in diameter making them the tallest onshore wind turbines consented in the UK to date will be added to the 22 turbines that were originally approved for its Lethans site – which has a capacity of around 132 MW.

Just outside of New Cumnock, East Ayrshire, the site extension will maximise the wind farm’s efficiency in providing low cost, low carbon electricity to energy consumers.

The extension, which has a rated capacity of approximately 60MW, consists of 10 ultra-powerful turbines and will result in the displacement of around 45,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, equivalent to removing 22,000 petrol cars from the roads.

Robin Winstanley, Sustainability and Environment Director at OnPath Energy said: “With sustainability and climate change being such a pressing, global issue, we are thrilled that our Lethans Wind Farm extension application has been approved.

“The additional turbines at the site will bring a wealth of environmental, social and economic benefits to the local community, creating a £9m community fund to be distributed to local initiatives around the area.

“Renewable technologies enable us to generate clean energy that has a lower environmental impact than conventional technologies and we are very proud that the Lethans Wind Farm extension will only add to this.”

The local economy stands to gain enormously from the further investment, with an estimated £178 M (around 60% of the total spend) projected to be spent within 60km of the site.  This estimate is based on the average projected local spend between three OnPath wind farms, with independent consultant Biggar Economics calculating the lifetime economic impact of OnPath’s Wind Farm developments.

In addition, Lethans is expected to support around 400 jobs during the construction phase, with the project supporting even more indirectly through its wider supply chain.

Robin added: “When designing the wind farm extension, it was really important for us to keep the community front of mind and this is why we have involved them in every step of the way.

“There is still a long way to go in the fight against climate change, however we are looking forward to ensuring that we continue developing plans for renewable energy production as we work towards the country’s ambitious net zero targets.”

This wind farm extension project will be the latest success for OnPath Energy, following on from the original approval secured for the Lethans Wind Farm in 2020 and the Mill Rig Wind Farm in late 2023.

Find out more about Lethans Extension.