Alstom-built extension to Europes largest wind farm officially opened

The 217 MW extension to Scottish Power Renewables Whitelee wind farm, which was built by Alstom, has been officially opened.

The extension to the wind farm, located just outside Glasgow, has taken the capacity from 322 MW to 539 MW with the addition of 69 3 MW Alstom ECO 100 turbines and six ECO 74 wind turbines, each with an output of 1.67 MW. The wind farm is the largest of its type in Europe.

The completion of the expansion represents the first large scale project for Alstoms ECO 100 wind turbine, a major milestone for the company. The order also signifies Alstoms continued commitment to the growing UK renewable energy market. The contract included supply, transportation, installation, commissioning, and operation and maintenance.

Annual output at Whitelee will be equivalent to the electricity consumption of more than 300,000 homes and the project will also dispace the emission of 840,000 tonnes of CO2 every year.

The UK plans to generate up to 35 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, most of which will come from wind energy. To meet this target, the UK will need 14 GW of extra onshore wind capacity, compared with approximately 3 GW today.

• Whitelee wind farm Alstom project page
• Scottish Power Renewables