SCOTTISH Water is to build a series of wind turbines in a deal with the utility company Scottish & Southern Energy as it aims to generate all its power from renewable sources.
Under the plans, Scottish Water Horizons, a commercial subsidiary, will trial the turbines at five water and waste water treatment sites over the next two years to help meet its energy requirements from renewable sources.
Scottish Water is the co
untry's biggest consumer of power, with an annual bill of between £40m and £50m, and Scottish Water Horizons says many water and waste water treatment sites are situated in rural locations ideally suited to wind turbines.
It says 60 three-megawatt turbines around the country would be enough to satisfy all of Scottish Water's power needs, while cutting costs.
Scottish Water Horizons is planning to work with Scottish & Southern Energy to develop the idea although it insists the project is still at an "early stage". Pilot site details have not yet been released.
Chris Banks, commercial director at Scottish Water and chairman of Scottish Water Horizons, said: "Scotland has fantastic potential for wind energy generation and Scottish Water has thousands of sites across the country, many of which would be ideal for capturing this potential.
"Generating power from renewables on our land will help reduce our bill, our dependency on volatile prices and, importantly, help reduce our carbon footprint."
The firms involved insist they will comply with all appropriate planning permissions and consultations.
Richard Chandler, director of community and commercial wind at Scottish and Southern Energy, said: "Securing future supplies and tackling climate change are driving major changes in the production and consumption of energy."
The full article contains 283 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
