The creation of a new windfarm in the south of Scotland has taken a major step forward after the completion of site investigation works.
Mill Rig Wind Farm is set to be located close to the border of East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire, and will see six turbines come into operation in Spring 2026.
The site investigations have been ongoing since May this year, and have now finally come to a close, with the developers OnPath Energy making the announcement today.
Construction is expected to begin in March next year, with electricity exporting to the national grid set to start the following year. The farm will have the capacity to generate up to 132GWh of renewable electricity annually, enough to power over 45,000 homes.
The project will also deliver a community benefit fund of up to £167,000 per year and around £91m investment in the local economy, bosses say.
Gordon Thomson, projects director for OnPath Energy said: “We have been carrying out a wide range of tests and surveys on the Mill Rig site since May and are pleased with the results from this.
“Once operational, Mill Rig is a site that will deliver 30 years’ worth of clean energy to homes across the country as well as Delivering significant benefits for local communities for many years.
“While we are still to confirm a grid connection date, we expect the site to be fully operational in 2026.”
The £155 million project will be built using modern onshore turbines which will be amongst the UK’s most efficient. Once completed, it will displace approximately 27,000 tonnes of CO2 annually from the UK’s electricity supply grid, equivalent to around 16,000 petrol cars from the road.
Sam Fisher, Senior Geotechnical Engineer, Natural Power added: “Natural Power was delighted to deliver the site investigation works at Mill Rig near Darvel.
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“As a local supplier, headquartered less than 50 miles from the site, we are very familiar with the challenging ground conditions and access issues the site faces.
“We have specialist drilling rigs for accessing these soft ground and forestry environments and a deep understanding of how the ground conditions encountered will impact the construction phase of the project.
“We have been fortunate to work with OnPath for several years now and are proud to support them in their vision to power a more sustainable future through renewable energy”
Bosses behind the project claim that the local economy stands to gain significantly from wind farm investment during development, construction and operation, with a projected local spend of over £91 Million, and around 300 jobs created.
This estimate is based on the average projected spend figures between three OnPath wind farms, with independent consultant Biggar Economics calculating the economic impact of OnPath’s wind farm developments.
The local authority also stands to benefit from Mill Rig with an anticipated £18 million in business rates contributing to public funds.
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