Beinn Ghlas Wind Farm was completed in May 1999. The official opening took place
in June 1999 where Kevin Dunion, Director of Friends of the Earth, Scotland was the
Guest of Honour. The last turbine was switched on by 9 year old Jessica Dalgleish.
It was named after Jessica, following a letter she wrote to npower renewables saying
"I can see the wind farm from my house. I think they look like angels. Could you call
one of your angels after me, Jessica?"
The wind farm consists of 14 wind turbines each of 600 kilowatts (kW) maximum output,
manufactured by Bonus Energy A/S of Denmark and has a combined maximum power of 8.4 megawatts (MW).
It is located on the hills of the Barguillean Estate around Carn Gaibhre, to the east of Beinn
Ghlas in Argyll. It was developed, and is operated by npower renewables.
The wind farm covers an area of 300 hectares but the turbines themselves only take up 1% of
that land. It is located at an altitude of between 390 and 460 metres above sea level and its
immediate environment consists of moorland used for light grazing.
Although there are no statutory land designations affecting the site, the developers
approached Argyll and Bute Council at an early stage and consulted widely to ensure
that the ecology and archaeology of the site was preserved. Consultees included:
the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the Royal Society for the Protection
of Birds, Scottish Natural Heritage, the West Scotland Archaeological Trust, the Scottish
Wildlife Trust, the former Central Scotland Local Authority Consortium and Taynuilt
Community Council.