A new £115,000 solar project at the waste water treatment works serving Milnathort and surrounding areas has been completed. The initiative involved the installation of 172 solar panels at the site, which are expected to generate 0.07 GWh of green energy annually, fulfilling almost a quarter of the facility's power requirements.

A portion of the green energy produced by the scheme will also be sold back to the national grid, making it accessible for use in the local area. This project is anticipated to save approximately 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year, thereby reducing the carbon intensity of waste water treatment at the site and contributing to Scottish Water's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040.


The project was led by Scottish Water Horizons, the publicly owned utility's commercial subsidiary, and delivered by R&A Group.

Pat Stakim, Project Manager at Scottish Water Horizons, expressed satisfaction with the completion. "We’re delighted to add Milnathort to the growing list of Scottish Water sites that are now powered in part by renewable energy – these schemes are key in helping us to make the vital services we deliver to customers greener and better for the environment," he said. Stakim added that these projects are an important step towards the 2040 net-zero target, and the organization will continue to scale up renewable energy initiatives.

Mike Galbraith, Scottish Water Operations Team Leader, highlighted the local impact. "While this is a relatively small solar project, it will still have a big impact on the energy usage of the site, with almost a quarter of its power needs now being met by renewable energy," he stated. "It is great to see the project complete and helping to make the waste water treatment process less carbon intensive."