ScottishPower Renewables’ construction on Europe’s largest windfarm reached another milestone this week with erection of the first turbine.

Located just south of Glasgow on Eaglesham Moor, it is anticipated that Whitelee windfarm’s 140-turbines will deliver an output of up to 322 MW, enough green renewable energy for over 180,000 homes – equivalent to the nearby city of Glasgow.

Construction began at Whitelee in September 2006 with the creation of the site infrastructure and access roads for the machinery and equipment. The 110 metre tall Siemens turbines are being delivered at night to minimise disruption to other road users.

The windfarm and its visitor centre are due for completion in Summer 2009 but will begin producing electricity for export in January 2008, following completion of the grid connection this week.

Keith Anderson, ScottishPower Renewables Director, said: “Whitelee windfarm is an important element of our wind development programme, and is a fantastic example of utilising Scotland’s abundant wind resources for environmental benefit.”

The main contractors on the site are Galliford Try and Balfour Kilpatrick with both extremely happy with how the project is progressing.

Morrison Construction’s Tony Windle, project manager for the Morrison Balfour Kilpatrick joint venture, said: “I am delighted to see the first turbine going up as it gives people – and in particular the team – a very visible reminder that this exciting project is well underway.
“A lot of work has already been carried out since construction started last September but most of this has been at ground level and not that visible to the public.

“People can now appreciate the size of the turbines and this is creating a lot of fresh interest in the project.”
“Alan McCann, Balfour Kilpatrick’s project manager said: “We are thrilled to be involved with this prestigious project which will set a benchmark for large-scale wind farm developments across Europe. This sustainable power solution will make a major contribution to Scotland’s energy needs.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

• The integration of Iberdrola and ScottishPower, successfully completed on April 23 2007, has created a new organisation, which is one of the largest electricity groups in Europe with an enterprise value of around €80 billion, a presence in more than 30 countries and 22 million points of supply. The new group is also one of the world’s largest onshore wind energy operator with 7,342 MW of installed capacity and a pipeline of 41,200 MW as of September 30, 2007.
• Balfour Kilpatrick, with sales of some £280 million, is one of the largest UK service organisations of its kind, having extensive experience within the multi services and power system sectors. The company’s expertise covers electrical, mechanical, instrumentation, building services, and related engineering construction and manufacturing disciplines.

For media information, contact

Derek Christie – 0141 568 2248/ 07736 088 765