Plans have been unveiled for a £300 million onshore wind farm big enough to power a city the size of Dundee.
The wind farm in South Lanarkshire would be the UK’s third largest by electricity generated.
Proposed by Banks Renewables at Bodinglee – either side of the M74 between Douglas and Abington – it will consist of up to 60 of the latest, most efficient turbines available.
The development would be on farmland owned by the Douglas and Angus Estates.
Bodinglee is the latest, and largest, project from Hamilton-based Banks and has the potential to deliver £80m worth of contracts to local firms, directly support around 500 jobs and displace more than 150,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. This is equivalent to taking more than 58,000 petrol cars off the road.
Banks is keen to reproduce its successful Connect2Renewables South Lanarkshire initiative which is currently creating employment opportunities for those living close to its Kype and Middle Muir wind farms.
The firm is beginning this process by letting people know as early as possible – with the publication of a scoping report – with a view to hosting initial consultations in the first half of 2021.
Gordon Thomson, head of projects at Banks, said: “This is a big project and will make a significant contribution to Scotland reaching #netzero by 2045. Onshore wind is a proven technology and the lowest cost renewable energy, helping keep consumers’ bills low.
“As part of development with care approach we strongly believe that the local communities that host our projects should benefit the most from them.
“We want the local community involved right from the beginning and so have launched an online consultation so that we can hear their views from now on.
“The size of this project means that there could be investment through a community fund of up to £45m over the life of the project, and we want to work with local people to ensure we deliver a long-lasting positive legacy for those living in the area.”
Over the next few years Banks will be commissioning surveys of the local area as they look to design the layout of the wind farm.
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