The Scottish government has granted planning permission to two onshore wind farms totalling around 152MW.
Section 36 consent was awarded to Energiekontor’s 92.4MW Craiginmoddie and to Statkraft’s 59.4MW Knockronal, both in South Ayrshire.
Craiginmoddie is cleared for 14 turbines with 200-metre tip heights at a site near Barr and Daily.
Knockronal is meanwhile consented for nine turbines with a mix of 200-metre and 180-metre tips located near Straiton.
Both projects were consented following public inquiry processes triggered by objections from South Ayrshire Council.
They were assessed together in a cojoined inquiry alongside ScottishPower Renewables’ 79MW Carrick, which Ministers said was done for “public interest and efficiency” reasons.
Planning permission was refused to Carrick due to “cumulative landscape and cumulative visual effects as well as significant adverse night-time visual impacts” on the Galloway Dark Sky Park.
Ministers stated: “Although many of the environmental impacts could be overcome by way of mitigation or would be overall acceptable when balanced against the net economic benefits and the renewable energy benefits that would be delivered if (Carrick) were to be deployed, the likely significant individual and cumulative landscape and visual impacts impacting on the Dark Sky Park would not.”
Applications for all three wind farms were first submitted in 2021.