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27 April 2006 - ScottishPower was today granted final planning consent for Europe‚s largest on-shore windfarm, the 322 MW Whitelee project south of Glasgow. It will provide enough green energy to power 200 00 homes, roughly equivalent to the city's demand.
The £300m ($537m), 140 turbine project approved today by the Scottish Executive, will cover 55km of open moor land and commercial forestry and makes a significant contribution to Scotland's renewable energy target for 2010.
ScottishPower Chief Executive, Philip Bowman, said, "This project is of national importance as we have always maintained that large windfarms, in appropriate locations, are vital to meeting the UK's ambitious renewable energy targets.
"Whitelee is our second large windfarm in Scotland's Central Belt and another excellent example of where and how these large projects can be developed."
The location on Eaglesham moor is close to population centres such as Glasgow, is near existing grid and road infrastructure and has an excellent wind resource.
"The successful development of Whitelee highlights the importance of clarity and consistency from the Government in the operation of its Renewables Obligation. It is vital that the integrity of the RO policy and its implementation remains intact, otherwise investment confidence will be damaged and the UK's renewables' target threatened."
ScottishPower is already the largest generator of wind power in the UK and, including Whitelee, has now had four projects totalling over 400 MW approved for construction over the last six months.
Plans for recreational facilities, including a state-of-the-art visitor centre and extensive cycle and walking routes are being finalized with local authorities and will be announced later this year. It is envisioned that the central location of the windfarm will attract large numbers of interested visitors.
Construction at the site will start this summer, with the first turbines arriving in late 2007 and the first units becoming operational in 2008. The whole windfarm, including the visitor centre, is expected to be completed by the summer of 2009.
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