A key milestone will be hit this month in accelerating Scotland’s journey to a net zero future as construction starts on Stranoch wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway.

Over the last 12 months EDF Renewables UK has been preparing the roads in and around Stranoch wind farm in ahead of construction.

Located between New Luce and Barrhill, once the 20-turbine site is operational it will have a 102MW capacity.

A proportion of the wind farm’s electricity generation will be bought by major retailer Tesco, with the clean energy due to power the equivalent of more than 80 average sized supermarkets for a year. Another proportion will be bought by BAE Systems and provide clean energy to power around 40 per cent of its current UK energy demand, supporting major technology programmes including the production of Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy in Glasgow. Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) have been facilitated by EDF Business Solutions with a third CPPA covering the rest of the electricity generation will be announced soon.

EDF Renewables UK has been working closely with local stakeholders and residents to minimise impact as far as possible and this regular dialogue will continue as the project gathers pace. The company is prioritising working with Scottish and local businesses where possible, including civil contractors RJ MacLeod completing the enabling works and using the local quarry for stone.

Family-run I&H Brown have been awarded the contract to complete the civil engineering works for the construction phase and Vestas will supply and install the wind turbines – 9 x V150-6.0 MW; 7 x V136-4.5 MW; 4 x V117-4.3 MW. Powersystems UK will complete the electrical work on the site, from installation to testing and commissioning of the high voltage electrical infrastructure and control building.

Construction of the wind farm, which is due to become operational in late 2026, started earlier this week. Once operational, more than £500,000 per year will be injected back into local projects and initiatives. With a minimum 30-year lifespan of the site, this amounts to at least £15million going directly back into the local area through a dedicated Community Benefit Fund.

Matthieu Hue, Chief Executive of EDF Renewables UK said:
“At a time when tackling climate change and energy security are at the forefront of all our minds, EDF Renewables UK is pleased to reach this major milestone on Stranoch.

“We are delighted to be working with Tesco on yet another project in Scotland to help the business decarbonise its retail portfolio and look forward to working with BAE Systems for the first time on such a project.

“We very much pride ourselves on working closely with local people at every stage of the process and enabling communities to maximise the benefit from renewable energy developments. As construction progresses, we will continue our regular dialogue with residents and communities around the project. I would like to thank the local community and everyone who has contributed to the project thus far.”

As part of the CPPAs, EDF Business Solutions will provide Tesco and BAE Systems with power balancing and shaping services*, in addition to sleeving the power into the supply agreements and enabling the energy transfer from the wind farm to the two companies.

Corporate Power Purchase Agreements allow electricity to be bought by a business directly from an energy developer and from a specific site, giving confidence of where its renewable energy has come from.

Matthew Nunn, Director of EDF Business Solutions said: 
“These two corporate PPAs will utilise EDF’s unrivalled energy market knowledge and expert trading capabilities to facilitate the energy transfer to both Tesco and BAE Systems, providing access to clean and affordable energy. It is great to see two strong and successful UK businesses supporting the build of large renewable assets and making such big commitments to progress their journeys to net zero.”

Andy Henley, Tesco Group Treasury Director, said: 
“Scaling up the production of clean renewable energy has never been more important, so we’re delighted to have signed a new wind farm deal with EDF Renewables UK. Our latest PPA, Stranoch, will generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of more than 80 average sized supermarkets for a year, and will help move us towards our target of reaching carbon neutrality in our own operations by 2035.”

Deborah Allen, Group Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Director at BAE Systems, said: 
“We’re pleased to be working with EDF Renewables UK to secure additional renewable energy for the UK. This project will meet around 40 per cent of our current UK energy demand and is an important step on our roadmap to reach net zero by 2030.”

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: EDF Renewables