Renewables firm Elgin Energy (www.elgin-energy.com) has received planning permission for a 50MW solar farm at Milltown Airfield near Elgin, in Moray.

The project is the first solar development approved by the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU), which rules on projects with outputs of 50MW or more.

It will occupy about 115 hectares of a former RAF airfield (on land owned by the Innes Estate) and will be Scotland’s largest solar farm.

Elgin Energy’s managing director, Ronan Kilduff, said: “This large-scale project is the fruition of a vision shared by Elgin Energy, Innes Estate, Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution, National Grid and Savills.

"The ECU, Moray Council and all parties involved in the planning process have been highly engaging, and we are delighted with this outcome, which is the culmination of almost six years preparatory work.

"We would hope to begin developing this project in the early 2020s.”