ScottishPower Renewables has today (24 September) announced that it has received full planning consent for its Hollandmey multi-source renewable energy project in Caithness, Scotland.
The project, which will be sited just eight kilometres south of John o’ Groats, will host ten wind turbines with a total capacity of 50MW, plus a 15MW solar development and a 15MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
In order to provide biodiversity benefits to the area, the developers will restore 168 hectares of peatland habitat to its original state, providing habitats for many local species of plants and animals. Additionally, ScottishPower is launching a Community Benefit Fund, which will provide £50,000 of funding to develop the electric vehicle network in the Scottish Highlands.
Gillian Noble, managing director, onshore origination and development at ScottishPower Renewables said: “We’ve received consent for our Hollandmey project—in building onshore wind, solar, and battery together, we can maximise the electricity we are able to generate at the site and deliver to homes and businesses across the UK.”
ScottishPower makes big moves
ScottishPower has had a very successful 2024 thus far, having announced in late July that it had made over £2 billion of investments and awarded contracts in the first half of the year.
One of the most significant of these investments was a £9.5 million upgrade scheme in Ayrshire, Scotland. The project involved the upgrade of more than five miles of powerlines between Chipperlaigan and Ayr substations, originally constructed in 1966.
Meanwhile, the company has launched two new clean heating schemes to encourage its customers to upgrade their homes to use low-carbon heating systems. The first targets those wishing to install home heat pumps, while the second aims to improve the energy efficiency of some of Scotland’s coldest homes with energy-efficient improvements such as cavity wall and loft insulation, double-glazed windows and draught prevention.
The company announced this week that it has acquired a new site in Lowestoft, England, to be used as a base for the development and delivery of its offshore wind projects.
