Scottish Ministers have consented Vattenfall’s 77MW Clashindarroch 2 wind farm.
The £90m scheme is located next to Vattenfall’s Clashindarroch wind farm, in Clashindarroch Forest, operational for over seven years.
Once operational, Clashindarroch 2 will take Vattenfall’s funding to local communities in the region to over £835,000 annually.
The decision follows a Public Local Inquiry in 2022, following a Section 36 application in 2019 by a wildlife charity.
At Vattenfall’s operational Clashindarroch site works on peat bog restoration and tree planting have been completed.
Vattenfall has pledged to continue to improve wildcat territory by developing habitat corridors to link Clashindarroch forest to other surrounding large woodland blocks, for the endangered Scottish species.
Additional improvements include managing the riverbanks on site and creating artificial dens, suitable for wildcats to shelter and raise their kittens, as well as looking to create a bigger area for the animals to roam.
The company has also pledged to recruit a full-time project officer to monitor and improve conditions for the species and fund a project which will help to deal with the problem of domestic and feral cats interbreeding with the wildcat – which is the biggest threat to the Scottish population.
Vattenfall’s Head of UK onshore wind development Frank Elsworth said: “Clashindarroch II will provide further investment for local community projects, whilst also supporting skills development, jobs and local supply chains.”
Vattenfall will now consider the consent decision in detail before confirming the forward schedule.
The company will also resume its talks with local partners on shared ownership.