Tundergarth Primary School pupil James Collinge, age 11, was the star of the show at the official opening of ScottishPower Renewables’ Ewe Hill Windfarm - after his drawing won a competition to feature on a commemorative mug designed especially for the opening ceremony.

L to R : Steven McLean (Project Manager), James Collinge (Tundergarth Primary) and Fraser Anderson (Assistant Project Manager).

Ewe Hill consists of 22 turbines, with a capacity of 50.6 megawatts (MW), that are now fully operational and supplying green electricity to the local grid. The project is located approximately 7.5  kilometers to the east of Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway.

Over 817 workers and support staff were inducted on the windfarm over a 21 month period, with a peak monthly workforce of over 75 personnel. The site will now also contribute approximately £6.3 million in total to nearby community councils for the benefit of local projects over the next 25 years.

Ewe Hill is part of a two-year £650 million investment plan by ScottishPower Renewables to build 8 new onshore windfarms in Scotland, which will deliver nearly 500 MW of new renewable electricity for the national grid.

Kenny Peberdy, Onshore Director for ScottishPower Renewables, said: “It was fantastic that James was able to come along to the opening of Ewe Hill, and his brilliant picture was the talk of everyone who attended.

“Ewe Hill will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s renewable energy targets and it is a welcome new addition to our family of over 30 projects across the UK.  As well as generating green electricity for homes and businesses, the Ewe Hill scheme will also invest millions of pounds to support local initiatives over the next two decades, and we hope that many people from the communities near to the windfarm will benefit from this funding.

"Beyond our current £650 million investment programme, we plan to continue scoping and developing new sites, as we believe that onshore wind remains a critical component of any future energy mix that seeks to reduce both emissions and costs for consumers."