A new step on Scotland’s journey to net zero has been reached as construction has started on Stranoch wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway.
Over the last 12 months EDF Renewables UK has been preparing the roads in and around Stranoch wind farm in ahead of construction.
Located between New Luce and Barrhill, once the 20-turbine site is operational it will have a 102 MW capacity.
A proportion of the wind farm’s electricity generation will be bought by major retailer Tesco, with the clean energy due to power the equivalent of more than 80 average sized supermarkets for a year. Another proportion will be bought by BAE Systems and provide clean energy to power around 40% of its current UK energy demand, supporting major technology programmes including the production of Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy in Glasgow. Corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs) have been facilitated by EDF Business Solutions with a third CPPA covering the rest of the electricity generation will be announced soon.
EDF Renewables UK has been working closely with local stakeholders and residents to minimise impact as far as possible and this regular dialogue will continue as the project gathers pace. The company is prioritising working with Scottish and local businesses where possible, including civil contractor’s RJ MacLeod completing the enabling works and using the local quarry for stone.
Family-run I&H Brown have been awarded the contract to complete the civil engineering works for the construction phase and Vestas will supply and install the wind turbines – 9 x V150-6.0 MW; 7 x V136-4.5 MW; 4 x V117-4.3 MW. Powersystems UK will complete the electrical work on the site, from installation to testing and commissioning of the high voltage electrical infrastructure and control building.
Construction of the wind farm, which is due to become operational in late 2026, started earlier this week. Once operational, more than £500 000/y will be injected back into local projects and initiatives. With a minimum 30-year lifespan of the site, this amounts to at least £15 million going directly back into the local area through a dedicated Community Benefit Fund.
“At a time when tackling climate change and energy security are at the forefront of all our minds, EDF Renewables UK is pleased to reach this major milestone on Stranoch,” said Matthieu Hue, Chief Executive of EDF Renewables UK. “We are delighted to be working with Tesco on yet another project in Scotland to help the business decarbonise its retail portfolio and look forward to working with BAE Systems for the first time on such a project.
As part of the CPPAs, EDF Business Solutions will provide Tesco and BAE Systems with power balancing and shaping services*, in addition to sleeving the power into the supply agreements and enabling the energy transfer from the wind farm to the two companies.
Corporate Power Purchase Agreements allow electricity to be bought by a business directly from an energy developer and from a specific site, giving confidence of where its renewable energy has come from.
“These two corporate PPAs will utilise EDF’s unrivalled energy market knowledge and expert trading capabilities to facilitate the energy transfer to both Tesco and BAE Systems, providing access to clean and affordable energy. It is great to see two strong and successful UK businesses supporting the build of large renewable assets and making such big commitments to progress their journeys to net zero,” Matthew Nunn, Director of EDF Business Solutions said.
For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.
Energy Global's Spring 2024 issue
The Spring 2024 issue of Energy Global starts with a guest comment from Field on how battery storage sites can serve as a viable solution to curtailed energy, before moving on to a regional report from Théodore Reed-Martin, Editorial Assistant, Energy Global, looking at the state of renewables in Europe. This issue also hosts an array of technical articles on electrical infrastructure, turbine and blade monitoring, battery storage technology, coatings, and more.