Proposed Eredine wind farm could be seen "for miles"

Eredine Wind Farm, a project by Renewables UK Onshore Wind Ltd (RWE), is situated between Furnace on Loch Fyne, Eredine on Loch Awe and three miles from Inveraray.

If approved, the turbines would be 200 m (656ft) tall and would be visible from Loch Awe and Loch Fyne. The site straddles the hill, within what is currently commercial forestry, between the two lochs.

The proposal would have an anticipated generating capacity of 120MW – anything more than than 50MW means the application is decided by the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit rather than Argyll and Bute Council as the planning authority.

At an earlier scoping stage, starting in June 2022, prior to the planning application submission, a total of 26 turbines standing at 230m (755ft) tall were being considered.

At that stage NatureScot called for a reduction in the size and number of turbines. The public body said that while supportive of renewable energy, it had concerns about the impact on the area.

The nearest property would be just under 4km away from the closest turbine in the proposal; it would be beside and south-west of An Suidhe wind farm; and would involve the felling of nearly 200 hectares of commercial forest.

As well as being seen from both lochs, the turbines would be visible from parts of some core paths including Loch Awe to Furnace; Dalavich to Barnaline Lodge; Dun Dubh, Ford; Furnace to Ford and Kilmichael Glassary.

At the December meeting of Lochgilphead Community Council, chairman Andy Buntin said: “I am all for renewables but, in Mid Argyll and Kintyre, it’s getting to saturation point.

“We will keep an eye on this one. It is not in our area, but it is that high you will see it for miles.”

Mid Argyll councillor Jan Brown, deputy provost for Argyll and Bute Council, was also at the meeting and added: “We have started objecting, particularly in Kintyre; we have got too many.”

The deadline for representations to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit is January 22 2025.

Last year, prior to the reduction in size and number of turbines, a spokesperson for NatureScot said: “The scale and location of this proposal is likely to result in widespread adverse effects; potentially significantly adversely affecting both the scenic Inner Loch Fyne area and part of the Loch Awe area.

“It will also introduce the effects of turbine lighting to this part of Argyll," they said, adding that it was located in a "very sensitive location which may give rise to natural heritage concerns which could prove difficult to overcome”.