The Diplomat
Iberdrola, through its UK subsidiary ScottishPower, has completed construction of the 30 megawatt (MW) ‘Halsary’ wind farm in Scotland, which will supply green energy to supermarket giant Tesco, the company said.
The 15-turbine farm, located in the county of Caithness, generates enough green power to supply the equivalent of almost 20,000 homes and will help power Tesco’s shops and operations across the country.
The project is the first wind farm built by ScottishPower without a government support scheme, as it is backed by a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) from Tesco. It is also its first onshore project in five years.
ScottishPower Renewables chief executive Lindsay McQuade said onshore wind “is the cheapest way to generate electricity in the UK, so it’s the ideal way for companies to buy clean energy and go green, at scale and at pace, and it’s great to see there’s a growing market for these kinds of partnerships”.
She was also “excited” to support Tesco in achieving its climate and sustainability goals with this new wind farm.
PPAs allow developers to invest in and build new renewable projects with a clear route to market, while corporate customers benefit from a clean, accurate and transparent energy source in relation to energy costs, and a reduction in their own carbon footprint.
Iberdrola has extensive experience in PPAs in regions such as the United States, Mexico, Australia and Europe, with a combined contracted capacity of more than 6,500 MW.
