By Isabella Kaminski

Under the new contract, Siemens will supply 17 direct drive turbines to Eneco Wind UK for the Lochluichart Wind Farm in the Scottish Highlands.

According to Siemens, this is the UK’s largest order for direct drive turbines and at 51 MW is the largest UK investment for Eneco Wind UK, a subsidiary of Dutch company Eneco.

Siemens will supply 17 SWT-3.0 -101 direct drive turbines with a tip height of 125m to the Lochluichart farm. The company has also signed a 15-year service agreement with Eneco Wind UK, covering maintenance of the turbines and component defects for the duration of the term.

Eneco Wind UK will also fund local initiatives by sharing in the success of the project through a community scheme. This will provide the local community with a fund of £2,750 per MW installed on the wind farm.

The wind farm will be developed on the Lochluichart Estate, located on high land between Loch Glascarnoch and Lochluichart. It is due to enter construction at the end of this year, with full operation expected in 2014.

Guy Madgwick, Director of Eneco Wind UK, says: “Alongside our operational 17 MW project at Tullo in Aberdeenshire, Lochluichart Wind Farm represents the next step for Eneco in building a portfolio of wind projects in the UK that fit into the company’s model of sustainability for all.”

Christoph Ehlers, UK Managing Director for Siemens Renewables, says: “Siemens already has an extensive portfolio of onshore wind power projects in Scotland, which play a key role in the Scottish government’s low carbon strategy. Lochluichart is our second direct drive contract in the UK, and the largest in the UK to date. This latest order is an excellent sign of the ongoing development of the market. We look forward to working with Eneco on this key project.”