Afton wind farm given the green light – Cumnock Chronicle

A new 27-turbine wind farm near New Cumnock has been granted consent,
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has confirmed.

Once complete the wind farm will have the potential to power the equivalent
of almost 35,000 homes and generate community benefit funding of up to
£9.2million over its lifetime.

The proposed Afton wind farm, which will be developed by E.ON, will have a
maximum generating capacity of around 74MW.

Mr Ewing said: “The Afton wind farm will create jobs both in its
construction, and during its lifetime. In addition it will bring up to £9.2
million of community benefit funding for East Ayrshire communities and be
able to produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of almost 35,000
homes.

“I have imposed rigorous conditions on the consent to ensure that any
impacts of the development on communities, the environment, our natural
heritage and aviation are appropriately mitigated.

“Once it is up and running the wind farm will help reduce carbon emissions
from electricity generation, aiding Scotland’s work to tackle climate change.

“We want to see the right developments in the right places. Design and
location of any wind farm should reflect the scale of the landscape and
should be considered environmentally acceptable.”