EDF Renewables has begun construction on the Stranoch wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway.
The 20-turbine site is expected to become operational in late 2026. Once completed, the farm will have a 102MW capacity.
Major supermarket chain Tesco has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the new site, with plans to purchase enough power to run 80 average-sized supermarkets each year. Defence contractor BAE Systems has also entered into a PPA and will use the site to power around 40% of its current UK energy demand.
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.”
PPAs on the rise
An increasing number of major firms have entered into PPAs from UK wind farms amid growing pressure to decarbonise their operations.
Online retailer Amazon recently agreed a deal with Iberdrola to offtake 159MW of energy from the 1.4GW East Anglia 3 offshore wind farm, cementing Amazon’s position as one of the world’s largest solar and wind energy procurers. This follows an announcement in January that Amazon would increase its share of output from Ocean Wind’s Moray West offshore wind farm to a total of 473MW under a new PPA.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, this February saw Almac Group enter into a corporate PPA (CPPA) with asset manager NTR to supply 95% of the energy needs of Almac’s Craigavon campus headquarters with power from the 21.6MW Murley Wind Farm.
