£60m wind farm approved in Scotland

A £60m 20-turbine wind farm has been approved for Argyll and Bute in Scotland.

Power from the Carraig Gheal wind farm east of Oban could supply about 32,000 homes when completed in 2010.

Green Power, the company behind the project, said £20m of the construction costs could be spent locally when building begins next year.

The project originally planned to use 24-turbines, but was cut back to address concerns about the visual impact of the site and the safety of birds, the BBC reported.

Conditions of consent include a bird monitoring programme that must be approved by Argyll and Bute Council and Scottish Natural Heritage.

Applications for another 37 renewable energy projects are currently before the Scottish Government.