The construction of seven turbines at West Benhar Wind Farm in North Lanarkshire will begin on 1 March, after the project team secured planning consent for some design changes in September last year
Scottish contractor I and H Brown has been appointed to manage the construction of the project, their work includes building the foundations and substation.
Vestas will supply the seven V117 4.3 MW machines.
Plans include an increased blade tip height, from 138.5m to 149.9m which will allow for greater electricity generation, and an increased operational life from 25 years to 30.
Planning permission allows for the installation of 8 turbines, but EDF Renewables (EDFR) will only build seven turbines. This is down to advances in turbine technology, so fewer are needed to fulfil the generating requirements of the site.
With a generating capacity of up to 30.1 megawatts (MW), West Benhar will supply low carbon electricity to power more than 18,000 homes.
The project is expected to take up to 15 months to complete, with turbine delivery starting in mid-February 2022, and completion in June 2022.
EDF Renewables already has an installed capacity of 500 MW of onshore wind in Scotland.
Journey to a net-zero future
Stelios Christodoulou, construction project manager, EDFR, said “We are excited to get work underway, this project is an important addition to our portfolio of onshore wind developments. Not only will it accelerate our journey to a net-zero future but it shows our commitment to investing and growing in Scotland.
“We will be engaging with the local communities in the coming months to keep them up to date with the project and discuss both the community fund and opportunities for community investment.”
