SSE has today announced Vestas as the turbine supplier for its 12 turbine, 50MW Aberarder Wind Farm in the Scottish Highlands.
Vestas will supply and install a dozen of its V117-4.2 MW wind turbines in 4.3 MW operating mode at the Aberarder site in Strathnairn near Inverness.
The Aberarder project was successful in September 2023 in the UK’s fifth Contract for Difference (CfD) Allocation round, securing a 15-year contract for low-carbon power generation.
SSE took a final investment decision on Aberarder Wind Farm in May of this year in a circa £100m investment, with construction due to begin before the end of 2024 and completion scheduled for late 2026.
Once operational, the site will be capable of generating enough green energy to power almost 60,000 homes annually and and displace around 30,000tCO2e during its first year of operation*.
Aberarder Wind Farm will sit on a natural plateau at an average of 700m above sea level, directly adjacent to the operational 94MW Dunmaglass Wind Farm which is jointly owned by SSE Renewables and Greencoat UK Wind.
Heather Donald, Onshore Renewables Development and Construction Director, at SSE Renewables, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Vestas again with whom we have partnered with on other assets in our portfolio such as our Viking Wind Farm in Shetland.
“This marks another key milestone in the delivery of our Aberarder Wind Farm, which will be another important asset in our onshore wind portfolio and will help support Scotland and the UK on the road to producing more homegrown clean power to secure our energy future.”
* Quoted 58,523 homes powered per annum based on Typical Domestic Consumption Values (Medium Electricity Profile Class 1, 2,900kWh per household; OFGEM, June 2021), estimated T&D losses (Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES)), typical 42% projected wind load factor, and projected installed capacity of 50MW. Quoted 32,423 tCO2e reductions per annum based on expected annual output against average 207 tCO2e per GWh for average grid carbon emissions in Great Britain ((2023 UK Government Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Conversion Factors for Company Reporting, published June 2023).