Iberdrola crosses 2,000 MW threshold for renewables in the United Kingdom

Following the completion of a £650 million investment programme to build eight new onshore wind farms, Iberdrola, through its subsidiary ScottishPower Renewables, has now passed the 2,000 megawatt (MW) milestone for UK wind power capacity.

In just over 18 months we put over 470 MW of wind power online, enough to supply more than 280,000 homes with the substantial environmental and financial benefits for the United Kingdom.

Iberdrola’s subsidiary has called for politicians and regulators to support the future development of onshore wind in Scotland – one of cheapest forms of green energy – citing the need to hit carbon reduction targets and support the anticipated increase in demand to charge electric vehicles.

Studies made by the Iberdrola subsidiary shows that 66% of the total investment in onshore wind has been spent in the UK, and over three quarters of the total UK investment has been spent in Scotland.

If the UK Government is serious about reducing carbon emissions and having enough clean power to support the huge expected growth in electric vehicles, then more onshore wind power is essential. One new onshore wind turbine could power around 7,000 electric vehicles, but we need to act now to meet the growing demand.

Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, said that “investing in renewables is key to Scotland’s transition to a low carbon future. It has not only brought jobs to our communities, and boosted our economy, but it has contributed to the progress of Scotland’s world leading climate change targets.”

“I am therefore delighted to hear that ScottishPower has now passed the threshold of having installed 2 GW of energy capacity from renewable sources. This is a great achievement and I look forward to more GWs of capacity coming on line in the future.”

The renewable energy subsidiary ScottishPower understands that if the industry were to have a level playing field with other technologies, a further 2,000 MW could be built in Scotland by 2020. These projects would complement offshore and ensure that the UK has enough green electricity to power a clean energy future.

In Scotland, Iberdrola has already conducted research and studies at dozens of potential onshore wind farm sites that could deliver a further capacity of over hundreds of megawatts of clean electricity.

Image: Megavatio 2.000 en Reino Unido (Source: Iberdrola)