ScottishPower doubles Whitelee wind farm capacity in £1.5bn

The developer of the UK's largest onshore wind farm has announced plans to replace its aging turbines with fewer but much larger models, a move that would double the site's electricity generation capacity. ScottishPower unveiled the proposal for the Whitelee Windfarm on July 22, 2026, outlining a "repowering" project estimated to cost 1.5 billion pounds.

The plan calls for replacing the existing 215 turbines, which are reaching the end of their operational lifespan, with approximately 124 new structures. The new turbines would stand roughly 250 meters tall at the blade tip, a significant increase from the current maximum height of 140 meters. This upgrade would boost the farm's capacity from 539 megawatts to 1 gigawatt, enough to power the equivalent of 650,000 homes. The project is expected to create hundreds of jobs and generate an estimated 330 million pounds in Gross Value Added for the Scottish economy over a decade of development and construction.

ScottishPower Renewables chief executive Charlie Jordan described Whitelee as one of the largest onshore windfarms in Europe and a cornerstone of UK renewable energy. He emphasized the importance of maintaining clean energy...