One of Scotland's oldest wind farms gets new life

Windy Standard is one of Scotland's oldest wind farms

Plans have been approved to repower one of Scotland's oldest wind farms.

The first phase of Windy Standard in Dumfries and Galloway became operational in 1996.

Now approval has been granted by the Scottish government to remove its 36 turbines and replace them with eight taller and more modern ones.

Fred Olsen Renewables said this would allow the wind farm to double the amount of energy it can produce.

The old turbines will be replaced and potentially put to new uses

The earliest phase of the wind farm has permission to operate in Carsphairn Forest in the Galloway Hills until the end of 2027, after its original 25-year consent was extended.

It was Scotland's second biggest wind farm at the time it was built.

Two further sets of turbines have since been built, but the oldest ones are now set to be replaced.

Emily Galloway, senior project manager at Fred Olsen Renewables, said: "Windy Standard was one of the first wind farms to be built in Scotland and it will now be one of the first to be repowered.

"We want our proposals to celebrate this legacy, and this includes leading the way in identifying solutions for the recycling and repurposing of turbine blade materials.

"We look forward to working closely with the community and local stakeholders to deliver this project."

The company is looking at ways to explore the repurposing of the decommissioned turbine materials - including their potential use in playgrounds.

It added that the repowering project would also deliver a community benefit fund of more than £7m.