Scotland: Siemens to add an additional 173 megawatts to Clyde onshore wind farm

Siemens has received an order for the supply, installation and commissioning of 54 direct drive wind turbines. The SWT-3.2-101 turbines will add another 172.8 megawatts (MW) to SSE’s Clyde wind farm in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Siemens will also be providing long-term service for the new Clyde Extension project. With an existing capacity of 350 MW, Clyde is already one of the largest onshore wind power plants in Europe.

The Clyde wind farm already has 152 operational turbines, making it the third-largest wind farm in Europe and SSE’s largest project to date. All of the existing turbines are Siemens 2.3-MW units, commissioned in 2011 and 2012. The additional 54 turbines, each with a capacity of 3.2 megawatts and a 101-meter rotor diameter, will significantly increase energy output and provide the Clyde wind farm with the latest direct drive technology.

“We are very pleased to continue the long and successful relationship with our customer SSE in an important project like the Clyde Extension,” said Thomas Richterich, CEO Onshore at Siemens’ Wind Power and Renewables Division. “Our direct drive units improve performance, reliability and maintainability. We see this innovation in our products as a stable basis for further collaboration with experienced customers like SSE.”

The two-year construction effort commenced in July 2015 and will support an estimated 500 local jobs through direct employment and the supply chain. The 54 turbines are scheduled for delivery and installation starting in June 2016. The Clyde Extension will be completed in June 2017.