Scotland's first wind farm 'supercharged' after upgrade

The new turbines can now generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 57,000 homes.

Scotland's first commercial wind farm will be able to deliver five times more clean power than before after being upgraded.

The ScottishPower Renewables site at Hagshaw Hill - near the village of Douglas in South Lanarkshire - removed 26 turbines in 2023 and replaced them with 14 larger installations.

ScottishPower said the new turbines could now generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 57,000 homes.

Every blade from the original turbines will be recycled by manufacturing company Plaswire into new materials for construction, replacing concrete, timber and plastics.

ScottishPower Renewables CEO Charlie Jordan said repowering sites like Hagshaw Hill will be the the fastest and most efficient way to boost renewable capacity and hit Scotland's 2030 onshore wind targets.

More than 79MW of clean electricity can be generated by the new turbines.

Mr Jordan said: "Hagshaw Hill started Scotland's wind revolution – and now it's back online, supercharged and ready to lead the next chapter.

"We're proud of what this site represents: powering homes, powering communities and powering Scotland's clean energy future."

More than 100 jobs have been supported during the decommissioning and repowering of Hagshaw Hill.

Andrew Billingsley, the CEO of Plaswire, added: "Plaswire's recycling process diverts waste from incineration, reducing CO2 emissions and replacing high carbon construction products."

A community benefit fund run by SPR is also increasing, with nearly £400,000 to be delivered annually to Coalburn, Douglas, Lesmahagow and Rigside & Douglas Water.

The firm said that marked an increase of around 26 times more than previous funding, and would go towards improving local facilities and creating employment in the region.

The application to repower Hagshaw Hill wind farm was first made in December 2018, and was then approved in February 2020.