Location

Argyll and Bute

Number of Turbines

9

Power (MW)

8.0

Developer

West Coast Renewables

Developer Address

Developer Website

www.westcoastrenewables.co.uk

Planning Status

proposed

Planning Officer

Mr. Richard Kerr; Principal Planning Officer

Planning Authority

Argyll and Bute Council Planning Department Dalriada House Lochnell Street Lochgilphead PA31 8ST

West Coast Renewables is a business belonging to a local farming family – the Youngs. The proposal for a wind farm at Clachan, near Oban in Argyll, is introduced on behalf of his family by Rory Young, who after extensive investigation and consultation has drawn up the proposal with the belief that it constitutes the most effective means for supporting the future viability of the Young's traditional farming operations, whilst delivering tangible benefits to the local community.

The proposal is for installation of 9 Enercon E44 900kw turbines, 55 meters to hub height and 77 meters to tip height. These turbines are classified as medium size by comparsion to large turbines which are generally in excess of 100 meters to tip height. These medium sized turbines would be connected to a small substation on Clachan by underground cable and from there over to the Kilninver substation.

With over half a century of involvement with Luing and Clachan, the Young's feel a strong sense of responsibility for maintaining the surrounding area for future generations. The decision to propose these more compact turbines is a compromise that the Young family felt was important for meeting the need for sustaining and improving the area’s productivity whilst being sympathetic to the local landscape. It is hoped that if Clachan Wind Farm goes ahead, tyhe development can help meet the Scottish target to increase the use of renewable energy, contribute to reducing the use of fossil fuels, make a difference to climate change, and importantly, deliver significant benefits directly to the local community.