Clyde Wind Farm North


(Clyde North Wind Farm, Clyde Wind Farm)

Clyde North represents the larger part of an immense wind farm centred on Clyde Law in South Lanarkshire and divided by the M74 motorway. Clyde North lies to the east of Abington and the north of the M74 and comprises 96 Siemens turbines, each rated at 2.3 MW, giving a total generation capacity of 220.8 MW. It began generating in 2012 and the entire farm was formally opened by First Minister Alex Salmond (b. 1954) later the same year. The direct-drive turbines are mounted on towers 80m (262 feet) in height and have a blade diameter of 93m (305 feet). Generation begins at a wind speed of 4.5 m/s (10 mph) and the turbines stop at 25 m/s (56 mph) for reasons of safety.

The Clyde North turbines are spread over numerous hills in a series of lines; between Lady Cairn and Clyde Law, then north along the boundary with the Scottish Borders to Broad Hill and Yearngill Head, and west to Mossy Dod. Then between Tewsgill Hill and The Seat, while the northernmost section links Ewe Hill and Hardrig Head.

Along with the Clyde South Wind Farm, this represents one of the largest wind farms in Europe, with a combined area of 18.3 sq. miles (47.5 sq. km), an output of 456 MW and built at a cost of over £600 million. The later Clyde Wind Farm Extension brought the area to 29 sq. miles (75.1 sq. km) and with a total power output of 523 MW. The entire farm is controlled by an Operations Centre at Bidhouse. It is owned and operated by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) which, in 2016, sold a 30% stake for £355 million to a consortium comprising renewables investor Greencoat UK Wind and Greater Manchester & London Infrastructure Limited (GLIL), a partnership between the London Pensions Fund Authority and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund.

The Clyde Wind Farm also claims to have the largest wind farm Community Investment Fund in Scotland. Administered by South Lanarkshire Council, this is expected to be worth around £22 million to local communities over the lifetime of the wind farm.


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