Billion-pound wind farm plans revealed by Burcote

The company has yet to secure planning permission or raise the necessary finance

A Scottish company has announced plans to invest more than a billion pounds developing 10 wind farms at locations across Scotland.

Burcote Wind, based in Dunfermline, claimed the projects could create almost 600 jobs.

The company has not secured planning permission to erect the turbines and will not seek finance for the projects until it does.

First Minister Alex Salmond has welcomed the company's plan.

The Scottish government said the renewable energy sector secured £750m of investment last year.

It calculated "pipeline projects" such as those proposed by Burcote Wind could be worth £46bn.

Burcote Wind is currently consulting on proposals for four sites - Meikleton (Aberdeenshire), Creggan (Argyll and Bute), Sandy Knowe and Benshinnie (both Dumfries and Galloway) - for which planning applications will be submitted during the next 18 months.

The firm said six other sites were also at early stages of "environmental and technical appraisal".