Supermarket Sainsbury’s is celebrating the completion of a brand-new wind farm in Scotland, which when operating at maximum capacity will provide enough electricity to supply up to 33% of Sainsbury’s total electricity needs.
Longhill Burn Wind Farm, West Lothian, features state-of-the-art turbines which are the largest and most powerful available onshore in the UK.
The wind farm is designed to add up to 50 megawatts (MW) of electrical capacity to the grid in the form of renewable energy. It will be used to power Sainsbury’s stores, offices and depots nationwide, giving a boost to the retailer’s ambition to become Net Zero in its own operations by 2035.
Longhill Burn will see the retailer invest millions of pounds in the renewable energy it produces over the next 15 years. It has been under construction since 2021, when Sainsbury’s signed an agreement to buy 100% of the electricity it generates with Capital Dynamics, a leading renewable energy investment managers.
“Now it’s completed, Longhill Burn Wind Farm can begin to realise its full potential, helping us take another massive step towards reducing our reliance on carbon,” said Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s director of property, procurement and EV Ventures.
“Sainsbury’s was the first UK retailer to start directly purchasing wind power for use in its estate back in 2008. Our commitment to the future of Longhill Burn Wind Farm, which both enabled its construction and guaranteed its long-term viability, builds on our proven track record of investing in sustainable technologies.”
Longhill Burn is the seventh wind farm from which Sainsbury’s now buys 100% of the energy generated, with an eighth site expected to go live next year.
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