SSE welcomed the decision by Scottish Ministers to grant consent, with associated planning conditions, for Stronelairg wind farm, situated south-east of Fort Augustus in the Great Glen. The wind farm will have 67 turbines with a maximum capacity of up to 240MW and is to be located on Garrogie Estate.
The project would be built around SSE’s existing Glendoe hydro scheme, using existing access roads that run right through the wind farm site. The project is situated on a plateau set well back (around 14km) from Loch Ness and no turbines will be visible throughout the main tourist routes of the Great Glen, Loch Ness and Cairngorm National Park.
Colin Nicol, Lead Director of Wholesale Generation Development, said: “When planning Stronelairg, we worked very closely with the[se] communities and stakeholders to minimise any local impacts and this includes utilising the existing Glendoe hydro access road infrastructure. We are also working with Highland Council and their Development Initiative of the Great Glen (DIGG) group to ensure this project is delivered as smoothly as possible.” Willie Cameron, Highland Tourism Ambassador and local businessperson from the Cobbs Group of Companies and Loch Ness Marketing, said: “I believe it has been well sited and carefully designed and it will have zero effect on tourism as a result.”
