en.Wedoany.com Reported - Wedoany News, Scottish Power, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, announced on Wednesday that it will invest £1.5 billion to upgrade the Whitelee Wind Farm in Scotland, replacing 215 existing old turbines with 124 new, higher-capacity units. Upon completion, the capacity of the UK's largest onshore wind farm will nearly double to approximately 1 GW, enough to meet the electricity needs of about 650,000 households.

The UK government is accelerating the development of renewable energy capacity to meet climate goals, enhance energy independence, and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. The Whitelee wind farm upgrade is a key initiative in this context. Keith Anderson, CEO of Scottish Power, stated in an interview: "We will implement the upgrade in phases, continuing to use existing facilities to maintain power generation while constructing new units." The project is expected to start around 2030 and be completed around 2035.

The UK's onshore wind industry is currently facing pressure to replace aging equipment, as wind turbines typically have a design life of 20 to 25 years. Early projects like Whitelee are nearing the end of their operational cycle. This upgrade is one of the largest replacement cases in the UK's onshore wind sector.

On the energy consumption side, Anderson praised the UK government's decision to scrap VAT on household electricity bills but noted that further measures are needed to address rising household energy debt. He said: "We need to alleviate some of the historical debt burden. For households unable to repay, the debt could be pooled into a special fund and gradually resolved through securitization over 10 to 15 years." Energy UK, the industry body, predicts that total household energy debt in the UK could reach £7 billion by the end of 2026.

Anderson's comments came as parent company Iberdrola reported a 22% increase in first-half net profit to €4.34 billion.