Construction has begun on the Achlachan wind farm, one of 15 onshore wind projects to secure a Contract of Difference in 2015. The 10MW, five turbine project is scheduled to be commissioned in early January 2019.

Developer Whirlwind Renewables signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with SmartestEnergy  following a competitive tender.

Thomas Chappell, a director at Whirlwind Renewables, said: “Achlachan is the biggest project we have taken forward entirely by ourselves and will make a valuable contribution towards Scotland and the UK’s renewable energy targets.”

Achlachan will join a portfolio of more than 150 projects which SmartestEnergy buys energy from in Scotland, ranging from single wind turbines developed by communities on remote islands to industrial-scale biomass plants and major offshore and marine technology prototypes.