Capable of powering a third of homes in Argyll and Bute, the Carraig Ghael wind farm near Kilchranan has received the consent of Scottish Ministers.  The final decision was taken by Finance Secretary John Swinney as the site falls in Energy Minister Jim Mather’s constituency.    

Swinney said:

"Carraig Gheal wind farm will provide a significant amount of electricity used in Argyll and Bute's homes and is another step towards making Scotland the green energy capital of Europe.

"We already have the comparative advantage of a vast array of potentially cheap, renewable energy sources in Scotland.  In our drive to fulfil that potential, reduce emissions and achieve our ambitious climate change targets, we are investing in a range of technologies - in onshore and offshore wind, tidal, wave, biomass, and clean coal including carbon capture technology."

This decision follows the Scottish Government’s target of producing 31 per cent of electricity demand from renewable sources by 2011 and 50 per cent by 2020. 

The Scottish Government said its Energy Consents Unit is now processing 37 renewable applications, 28 of which are wind farms, eight hydro projects and one wave project. 

Electricity generated by renewable sources has been on the rise in recent years in Scotland with a 46 per cent increase between 2005 and 2006.  The Scottish Government claim that Scotland could have supplied 92.5 per cent of its electricity needs from non-nuclear sources in 2006.