A new 22-turbine wind farm has opened in the Highlands.

The Ewe Hill scheme has a capacity of 50.6MW and is part of a two-year £650m investment plan by ScottishPower Renewables to build eight new onshore windfarms in Scotland.

Located approximately 7.5km to the east of Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway, more than 817 workers and staff worked on the scheme over a 21-month period, with a peak monthly workforce of over 75 personnel.

The site will now contribute approximately £6.3m in total to nearby community councils for the benefit of local projects over the next 25 years.

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Kenny Peberdy, Onshore Director for ScottishPower Renewables, said: "Ewe Hill will make a significant contribution to Scotland's renewable energy targets and it is a welcome new addition to our family of over 30 projects across the UK.  As well as generating green electricity for homes and businesses, the Ewe Hill scheme 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/MH)