Work on a wind farm extension project in East Ayrshire is now complete.

ScottishPower Renewables has installed a further 35 turbines to the original 20-turbine Hare Hill Windfarm site, taking the site's full capacity up to 43MW.

The scheme is part of a two-year £650 million investment plan by ScottishPower Renewables to build eight new onshore windfarms in Scotland, which will deliver nearly 500 MW of new renewable electricity for the national grid

Almost 1,000 workers and support staff were inducted on the windfarm over an 16 month period, with a peak monthly workforce of over 165 personnel.

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Overall, the site will now contribute approximately £3.7m to the local authority and New Cumnock Community Council for the benefit of local community projects over the next 25 years.

Kenny Peberdy, Onshore Director for ScottishPower Renewables, said: "Hare Hill was amongst the earliest commercial windfarms in Scotland, and the site has been making an important contribution to Scotland's green energy goals for nearly two decades now. It is well located with good wind speeds and access to the grid, which made it an ideal site for an extension.

"As well as generating green electricity for homes and businesses, the project will also invest millions of pounds to support local initiatives over the next two decades, and we hope that many people from the communities near to the windfarm will benefit from this funding.

"Beyond our current £650 million investment programme, we plan to continue scoping and developing new sites, as we believe that onshore wind remains a critical component of any future energy mix that seeks to reduce both emissions and costs for consumers."

(LM)