ScottishPower cuts Whitelee to 124 turbines, doubles output to 1GW

ScottishPower, owned by Iberdrola, confirmed on Wednesday that it will invest £1.5 billion to repower the Whitelee Windfarm near Glasgow. The plan replaces the site's 215 existing turbines with 124 larger units, lifting capacity to about 1GW, enough to supply roughly 650,000 homes. The BBC reported that the rebuild uses fewer but taller turbines, a common pattern as older sites reach the end of their operational life.

The driver is turbine age. Most wind turbines run for 20 to 25 years, and Whitelee's first phases are approaching that threshold. ScottishPower CEO Keith Anderson told Reuters the work will run in phases so the current site keeps generating while new units are built, with construction starting around 2030 and finishing near 2035. Utility Week noted the repowering nearly doubles output without expanding the site's footprint.

What this means for UK buyers

UK baseload day-ahead power over the last 12 months sets the backdrop against which new domestic capacity like this is judged by buyers weighing long-dated deals.

For commercial buyers, Whitelee is a supply-side story rather than an immediate price signal. New onshore capacity landing from 2030 adds to the domestic generation stack, which over time supports security of supply and reduces exposure to imported gas on the margin. It does not change your near-term forward curve, but it matters for anyone signing long-dated Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) or corporate renewable deals over the next decade.

Points worth tracking as the project develops:

• Construction start, currently guided to around 2030
• Completion, targeted for approximately 2035
• Phased commissioning, which keeps the existing site generating throughout
• Any Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation that underpins the build
• Grid connection timing at the Whitelee site

Context on scale: Energy Live News reported the £1.5 billion figure alongside Iberdrola's wider UK network and generation commitments, and the announcement followed Iberdrola's first-half net profit rising 22% to €4.34 billion. Anderson also backed the removal of VAT on domestic electricity bills but pressed for a dedicated fund to manage household energy debt, which Energy UK expects to reach £7 billion by year end.

What to watch next: the CfD and planning milestones through 2027-28 will determine whether the 2030 start holds, and any confirmed grid connection date will firm up when the extra capacity actually reaches the system.