ScottishPower to double Whitelee windfarm output using taller turbines

ScottishPower announced a £1.5 billion repowering project for the Whitelee onshore windfarm, the UK’s largest. The plan will replace the existing 214 turbines with about 124 new, taller machines that can reach over 240 m at the blade tip. This will raise the farm’s installed capacity from roughly 533 MW to more than 1 GW, enough to power an estimated 650 000 homes – about 300 000 more than today.

The development is expected to create hundreds of construction jobs, generate £500 million of supply‑chain spend and deliver roughly £5 million a year in community benefit payments to local councils. It forms part of ScottishPower’s broader £24 billion investment programme to 2028 and will be built in phases during the 2030s, with commissioning targeted for around 2035. The company highlighted the project’s role in boosting UK energy security and reducing consumer bills over the long term.