ScottishPower, a subsidiary of Spanish electric utility company Iberdrola, has acquired two new onshore wind projects with a combined capacity of 165MW in Scotland.
The developments have been purchased from local individual shareholders of 3R Energy and Mitchell Energy.
The company will be making an investment of more than £150m ($183m) for the acquisition. The wind facilities are located near Douglas in South Lanarkshire and Glasgow.
ScottishPower chairman and Iberdrola CEO Ignacio Galán said: “As we begin to emerge from the coronavirus crisis, investment in green infrastructure can quickly be delivered, creating jobs and offering immediate economic and environmental benefits.
“This will help to support the UK’s overall recovery at this critical time. Globally, it is essential that the financial recovery is aligned with climate goals.
“As today’s announcement demonstrates, companies like ours remain committed to major clean energy investments, fostering quality employment and driving the energy transition forward.”
The addition of these two facilities along with a 55MW project, which is significantly owned by ScottishPower, will see the development of 220MW energy cluster in South Lanarkshire.
Additionally, the project includes repowering of ScottishPower’s Hagshaw Hill wind farm. About 600 peak jobs and 280 long-term jobs are likely to be generated.
Once completed, the two wind facilities are expected to generate enough green power that will be sufficient to power 100,000 homes in the region.
ScottishPower CEO Keith Anderson said: “Onshore wind is a crucial tool in tackling climate change, and renewable energy is increasingly becoming the backbone of the UK’s power mix.
“As one of the UK’s leading renewables developers, ScottishPower is committed to investing in a green economic recovery that speeds up progress towards net-zero.
“Twenty-five years ago, we took on Scotland’s first commercial wind farm, which helped to kick-start a clean energy industry that now employs a quarter of a million people in the UK. We see the regeneration of this project as a catalyst for launching a green recovery for the UK economy.”
Earlier this month, Iberdrola Renovables France acquired French renewable energy company Aalto Power for €100m ($107m).
