NEIL GRAY MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, and Patrick Harvie MSP, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights in the Scottish Government, will today officially open Muirhall Energy’s Greengairs East Wind Farm, the company’s latest onshore wind development.
The project, located to the northeast of Airdrie in Scotland’s central belt, comprises eight turbines, with an overall capacity of 36MW. It will generate the equivalent of the annual power needs of more than 30,000 homes, displacing 55,099 tonnes of CO2 each year – equal to taking 37,000 cars off the road.
Muirhall Energy’s latest subsidy-free project was financed by Close Brothers, and will support an annual Community Investment Fund of £180,000 for five local community council areas. Equivalent to more than £7.2million over its 40-year lifetime, the fund will open for applications this December.
Close to £18m of the capital expenditure on the project went directly to Scottish suppliers, with £2m going to contractors in Scotland’s central belt.
Commenting on the opening of the project, Sarah McIntosh, Managing Director of Muirhall Energy, said:
“We are delighted to formally open Greengairs East Wind Farm, our latest onshore wind project, and another successful Muirhall Energy development.
“It is a great example of our sensitive approach to design, where we seek to use the best technology for the site and work with local communities from the earliest stages of development and right through the operational phase of the wind farm.
“We have now built more than 150MW of wind capacity and are actively progressing our 3GW pipeline of wind, solar and storage projects.
“However, nobody should be under any illusions about the challenges facing the renewable energy sector right now as a result of increases in interest rates, capital costs and transmission charges, along with the huge volatility in the power market.
“It’s more important than ever that we see positive government support for the sector through the planning system, future market reforms and delivery of timely grid connections if we are to deliver the capacity required to meet Scotland’s and the UK’s climate change targets.”
