ScottishPower Renewables CEO Keith Anderson met with Charles Hendry MP, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, at Belfast Harbour this week to discuss investment in the UK’s offshore wind power sector. At the same time, the energy company is also set to award Belfast-based Northstone Limited contracts worth more than £20m to deliver infrastructure works at two of its onshore windfarms.
Northstone Limited has been selected as the preferred bidder to deliver infrastructure works, which will include the construction of access roads, cable works and turbine foundations, at both Harestanes Windfarm (136MW) in Dumfries and Galloway, and Middleton Windfarm (12MW) in East Renfrewshire.
Northstone is also the principal contractor on a £50m project to develop a new terminal for the assembly of offshore wind turbines at Belfast Harbour. The 50-acre facility will support the construction of the 389MW West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm – a 50/50 joint venture between ScottishPower Renewables and DONG Energy.
Keith Anderson said: “Both offshore and onshore wind power continue to play a major role in helping the UK to diversify and secure energy supplies, and both also remain as a driver behind significant investment and job creation.
“Belfast Harbour is an excellent example of the wider economic benefits that can be created through the growth of offshore wind power. Beyond the West of Duddon Sands project that we are developing with DONG Energy, the facility that is being developed in Belfast will be able to support many more projects in the future and sustain many hundreds of jobs.
“Onshore wind projects will remain a very significant part of the energy mix, and the windfarms at Harestanes and Middleton illustrate the importance of developing both large scale and smaller projects to help us make the most of our natural wind resources. We anticipate that the two projects together will support more than 150 jobs in the UK renewables sector.”
Ends
Notes to Editors:
West of Duddon Sands
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West of Duddon Sands Offshore Windfarm is located 14 kilometres southwest of the Barrow-in-Furness coastline. This project is a joint development between ScottishPower Renewables and Dong Energy.
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When complete, the windfarm will have the capacity to produce 389MW of clean green energy, enough to provide power to the equivalent of over 260,000 homes.
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Consent for this windfarm was granted on the 23rd September 2008
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Onshore work began in early 2012, foundations for the turbines will be laid in early summer 2013 and the project is expected to be fully completed in 2014.
Harestanes
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In late 2007 ScottishPower Renewables was granted permission to construct and operate a 136MW windfarm at Harestanes.
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Located near Moffat and Ae, its 71 turbines will produce enough energy to power the equivalent of over 80,000 homes.
Middleton
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ScottishPower Renewables concluded the acquisition of Middleton windfarm, near Newton Mearns, from RWE npower renewables in December 2011.
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The windfarm received final planning consent from East Renfrewshire Council in August 2011. The proposal consists of 6 turbines with a maximum height to the blade tip of 105 metres, generating up to 12MW of electricity.
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The site is located within East Renfrewshire Council’s Area for Renewable Energy, approximately 5.5 km south-west of Newton Mearns and 3.5km south of Neilston.