A multi-million pound electricity connection upgrade at Whitelee Windfarm means that visitors to the site over the next few weeks might not see the turbines turning as fast as they normally would.

Work is now underway to upgrade the electrical grid connection for the 75 turbine extension to the windfarm site. For a few weeks this means that the current turbines must be switched off until the grid upgrade is complete.

Kenny Peberdy, ScottishPower Renewables’ Operations Director, explains why the work was planned for the summer months and why electricity generation at the existing windfarm has been put on hold: “This essential project has been planned to take place when wind speeds are traditionally at their lowest, and will be completed in the next few weeks.

“To upgrade the electrical grid connection we have to first ‘de-energise’ the current system and then install the new electrical equipment needed to connect, and ultimately export, 217MW of new power to the national grid.

“On completion the extended windfarm will be capable of generating 539MW in total of cleaner, greener energy - enough to power the equivalent of over 300,000 homes.”

The majority of the turbine foundations for the extension to the windfarm have also been completed and deliveries of the first components of the 140m turbines commenced at the end of July.

The Whitelee Extension is due to be completed towards the end of summer 2012.