A young Scout from Shotts who named a towering electricity turbine was delighted to see it in action when he attended the official opening of West Benhar wind farm.
Community groups also joined EDF Renewables UK and Scotland’s Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work, Gillian Martin MSP to open the country’s newest operational wind farm on Wednesday, February 28.
The electricity-producing facility near Shotts has now been fully commissioned and to commemorate the opening the MSP unveiled a plaque.
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EDF Renewables UK had been working with the 3rd Shotts Scout Group on a competition to name a turbine on the site.
Nine-year-old Jay Johnston came up with the winning name – Big Bertram – a legendary giant who roamed Shotts in the 15th century. Runners-up in the competition were Noah Mould, aged 13, and Ethan Baillie, nine. The boys were presented with gift vouchers and certificates during the ceremony.
In addition to providing an investment boost to the local economy during development, over the project’s operational lifespan of 30 years, a dedicated community benefit fund will see approximately £4.5million awarded to local projects and initiatives during this time. Work has been progressing with local community organisations to launch the fund which will come into effect in the coming months.
EDF Renewables UK has worked with Scottish and UK businesses where possible to build the wind farm, including family-run I&H Brown which completed the civil engineering works throughout; Athena on the mechanical and electrical work, including high voltage; and Vestas for the construction and installation of the wind turbines.
The wind farm has a capacity of 30.1MW and consists of seven Vestas V117 4.3MW turbines, which have tip heights 149.9m above ground level, and a 117m rotor diameter.
Jon O’Sullivan, director of onshore wind, hydrogen and commercial and industrial solar for EDF Renewables UK, commented: “This milestone is another positive step towards realising the country’s ambitions to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045 and will see millions re-invested back into the local community over the life of the project.
“We take a long-term approach to the wind farms we develop, recognising the importance of supporting those communities in which we operate. From using local suppliers where possible to working with communities throughout the lifespan of the project, we want to make sure that local people reap the benefits of having EDF Renewables UK and our wind farm nearby.”
Gillian Martin, Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work, said: “The commissioning of West Benhar wind farm will benefit the community through investment in local projects for the next 30 years and supports our drive to transition to a net zero economy.
“There is a shared determination to grow Scotland’s vital wind power sector and to create green jobs across the country through our Onshore Wind Sector Deal with industry. This will see more communities benefiting and more economic opportunity, while ensuring developments are in harmony with our environment.”
A corporate power purchase agreement is in place for Tesco to buy the wind farm’s electricity. This allows renewable electricity to be bought by a business directly from an energy developer and from a specific site, giving confidence of where it’s come from.
Matthew Nunn, director of EDF Business Solutions commented: “This is another positive step forward on the journey to net zero and we are excited to continue working closely with Tesco, providing a route to market for renewable energy. It is great to see UK businesses making such big commitments and renewable electricity playing a major role in Tesco’s progress.”
Andy Henley, group treasury director at Tesco said: “As we face into the impacts of climate change, there has never been a more important time for us to take action to meet our goal of becoming carbon neutral across our own operations by 2035.
“These long-term renewable energy agreements are crucial to securing the future energy needs for Tesco and to help us meet our net zero commitments.”
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