ScottishPower Renewables has announced that turbine construction at Whitelee Windfarm near Glasgow, Europe’s largest on-shore wind project, is set to be completed ahead of schedule in the next few weeks.
The company, who are the largest generator and developer of wind energy in the UK, has now constructed 126 turbines and erected the base units of the final 14. All 140 turbines are now scheduled to be completed in the next few weeks, producing up to 322MW of electricity - enough to power over 180,000 homes.
Once all turbine construction is completed the company plans to carry out remedial work on the 90km road network that they have constructed as part of the project, complete the necessary site reinstatement works and finish the £2m state-of-the-art visitor centre. The site will then be opened to the public later in the summer, making it one of Scotland’s largest eco-tourist attractions.
Keith Anderson, Director of ScottishPower Renewables, said: “We are delighted that construction is ahead of schedule, and believe this is down to the experience we have gained from building previous large-scale wind projects such as Black Law, especially understanding how to effectively manage the programme of work and key project relationships.”
When completed later this summer the visitor centre will be the first of its kind in the UK. It will include an exhibition area explaining the construction of the windfarm and a unique renewable energy education centre which will be operated by specially trained staff. As part of the company’s plans to make the site fully accessible, tours of the windfarm will also be available for visitors, and plans are being made to introduce eco-friendly buses powered by electricity generated from the site.
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