Wind farm serving 31,000 households opens in Lanarkshire

A wind farm in Clydesdale which will serve around 31,000 households has been officially opened.

Dalquhandy Wind Farm in Coalburn was opened by Provost Margaret Cooper, it is located on a restored former opencast coal mine.

The farm was fully commissioned earlier this year and will produce enough green energy to supply approximately 31,000 households in the area.

Last month, Dalquhandy Wind Farm was sold to Greencoat UK Wind Plc, and global renewable company BayWa r.e. will provide asset management services for the wind farm.

Provost Cooper said: ”Like so many wind farms these days, not only do they provide clean energy, they are fantastic community assets.

“The communities of Douglas and Coalburn, and visitors from all over South Lanarkshire and beyond, will be able to make so much use of this wonderful site.

“Just as the wind farm will provide energy for many years to come, locals and visitors alike will benefit from what the site has to offer for generations to come.”

During the construction phase, BayWa r.e. appointed local contractors to create a network of footpaths, which will provide recreational opportunities for the nearby communities of Douglas and Coalburn.

Dalquhandy Wind Farm generates £210,000 of community benefits per year, increasing with inflation.

The fund is shared between the local communities of Coalburn and Douglas directly and the South Lanarkshire Council Renewable Energy Fund.

Throughout the 25-year lifetime of the project, this will amount to £5.25m.

John Milligan, Managing Director at BayWa r.e. said: “It has always been important for us at BayWa r.e. to generate benefits for the environment, biodiversity and local communities through our projects delivering low cost, zero carbon energy.

“Dalquhandy Wind Farm is also the perfect example of how we can successfully transition former coal mining sites to a cleaner and greener future.”