The company says the onshore projects would represent a £1bn ($1.6bn) investment and meet the power needs of about 550,000 Scottish homes.

Burcote is examining four sites with a view to submitting planning applications over the next 18 months.

Two of these are in Dumfries and Galloway, one in Aberdeenshire, and one in Argyll and Bute.

The developer says six other sites “are in the early stages of environmental and technical appraisal”.

The