The busiest period ever for windfarm construction in Scotland is now scaling new heights, with ScottishPower Renewables alone installing enough new green energy to meet the annual electricity requirements of approximately 287,000 homes.
More than 1,000 people are currently building a total of eight wind projects for the company across the Central Belt and south west of Scotland. Work is progressing at pace with 221 turbines being erected,187 of which are in Dumfries and Galloway representing an investment of more than £650 million.
Over a 9 month period alone, ScottishPower Renewables awarded nine turbine contracts with a combined value of over £350million. Once completed, this unprecedented investment in green energy will deliver 474 megawatts (MW) of new electricity capacity.
The projects will see over 145km of new roads constructed on the windfarms, roughly the distance between Glasgow and Carlisle, to provide access for turbine deliveries to their final locations.
The largest site under construction is at Kilgallioch, which straddles the border of South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. At 96 turbines and 239MW, it will become the third largest onshore site in the UK and will be capable of powering more than 130,000 homes.
At the peak of construction at Kilgallioch there were more than 300 people working on site and the project will create 13 full-time posts once it is completed next year.
Kenny Peberdy, Onshore Director at ScottishPower Renewables, said: “Scotland is one of the busiest places in the world right now for the construction of onshore wind, with thousands of engineers and technicians and support workers delivering a raft of large-scale renewable energy projects. We are currently building more projects at the same time than we’ve ever built before through an unprecedented level of investment this year.
“Scotland is boosting its credentials as a global renewable energy leader, and making wind power work for communities across the country. Not only is the industry supporting of thousands of jobs in the construction and operation of windfarms, it also means that low carbon electricity generation in the country will be at an all-time high, as well as ensuring that millions of pounds will made available by developers to support community investment projects.”
Other sites where ScottishPower Renewables is working include two extensions at Black Law near Shotts, North Lanarkshire; two phases at Ewe Hill near Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway; Dersalloch east of Straiton in East Ayrshire; an extension at Harehill near New Cumnock in East Ayrshire and Glen App in South Ayrshire north east of Cairnryan.
Projects being built by ScottishPower Renewables:
- Kilgallioch – 96 turbines / 239MW
- Black Law Extn Ph 1 – 23 turbines / 45MW
- Black Law Extn Ph 2 – 11 turbines / 18MW
- Ewe Hill Phase 1 – 6 turbines / 14MW
- Ewe Hill Phase 2 – 16 turbines / 37MW
- Dersalloch – 23 turbines / 69MW
- Harehill Extn – 35 turbines / 30MW
- Glen App – 11 turbines / 22MW
TOTAL – 221 TURBINES / 474MW
Map showing the locations of ScottishPower’s new onshore windfarm sites:
