The delivery of the longest turbine blades ever to be installed at a UK onshore wind farm is now underway, marking a major milestone in the development of Mill Rig Wind Farm in South Lanarkshire.
The blades, each measuring 80 metres in length, are being transported to the site as part of the construction of the 33.4MW wind farm, being developed by OnPath Energy. Once installed, they will form part of six state-of-the-art turbines which will generate enough renewable electricity to power more than 45,000 homes annually and displace around 27,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
Deliveries have been carefully planned to take place through the night to minimise disruption ahead of commissioning and full energisation of the 33.4MW South Lanarkshire wind farm in the summer.
The new wind farm will feature six turbines with tip heights of 199.5 meters. With blades that sweep 50% more area than the largest turbines at Kype Muir Extension, the Mill Rig turbines, helped by their higher rated power – produce around 33% more energy. This means the new site will deliver a greater yield of renewable electricity while also driving an increase in community benefits.
Jules Rankin-Perez, head of construction at OnPath Energy added:
'The arrival of these blades is a defining moment for the Mill Rig project. Their scale is remarkable, but more importantly, they represent a step change in how efficiently we can generate renewable energy.
'By using the latest turbine technology, we are able to deliver more clean power from fewer turbines, which benefits both the environment and the local community.'
Transporting components of this size requires extensive planning and coordination, with specialist haulage teams managing the complex journey to site. The delivery process has been carefully designed in partnership with contractors and local authorities including principal contractors RJ McLeod, Nordex, McFadyen, Renfrewshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council to ensure minimal disruption to local communities.
Nordex has previously supplied turbines for projects including the Kype Muir Extension. The onshore Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specialises in the design, sale, installation, manufacture and servicing of wind turbines in the 4 to 7 MW market. To date, Nordex has installed wind turbines with a total capacity of around 65 GW in over 40 countries worldwide.
