ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) has now got the go ahead to construct the 96 turbine wind farm which is located south of Barrhill in south west Scotland. It will be SPR’s second largest onshore wind farm behind the 539MW Whitelee wind farm, which is the largest such installation in the UK. Up to 250 workers will be employed to construct Kilgallioch which will receive a total investment of over £400 million. SPR hopes to start work in late 2014 or early 2015 with completion within 24 months.
SPR recently reported record-breaking figures for electricity generated by its wind farms. Between 25th January and Thursday 31st January the company’s 28 operational onshore wind farms generated more than 135 GWh of electricity, enough to power more than 1.6 million homes in an average weekly period. SPR is currently one of the largest developers and generators of wind energy in the UK with an operational capacity of more than 1,200MW.
“Kilgallioch is a very significant renewable energy project that will make a major contribution towards both Scotland’s and the UK’s carbon reduction targets” said Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower Renewables. “It represents a major investment in new electricity generation in Scotland, and will sustain hundreds of jobs during construction, helping to boost the local and regional economy in South West Scotland. Prior to the construction work starting, we will look to engage with local businesses and suppliers, to see how we can get them involved in the project. We are delighted to receive this consent in recognition of all the hard work, effort and consultation that we have carried out to develop our plans for a large scale windfarm in a responsible manner. We have experience in delivering major windfarm projects, such as the UK’s largest at Whitelee, and we look forward to starting work at Kilgallioch.”
Mr Anderson said that Scotland has fantastic renewable energy resources from both onshore and onshore wind as well as wave and tidal power. Billions of pounds have been invested so far, creating thousands of jobs and delivering substantial economic benefits.
Kilgallioch will also generate opportunities for employment in turbine maintenance and SPR will be working with local companies, councils and other stakeholders to produce a community benefits package. Planning consent for the wind farm follows two years of detailed design and planning work with SPR subsequently working with Dumfries & Galloway Council to further refine the proposals.
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