Construction has started at the Cumberhead wind farm, a 50MW onshore project in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It power will supply Kimberly Clark, whose companies provide household brands including Andrex, Kleenex and Huggies, under a power purchase agreement signed with wind farm owner Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust.
The project, which will consist of 12 Nordex N133 turbines and have an initial expected operating life of 25 years, was acquired by Octopus in September from RDC Partners. Cumberhead is expected to be fully operational by Q4 2022. The total consideration of the project and the subsequent construction costs is expected to be up to approximately £75 million.
Once operational, the Cumberhead Project is expected to provide nearly 80% of the electricity needed to manufacture Kimberley Clark’s products in the UK – 160,000MWh/yr.
Phil Austin, chair of Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust plc, said, “We are pleased to complete on this acquisition and commence the construction of the Cumberhead Wind Farm in Scotland. The Cumberhead project will add a significant onshore wind asset to our diverse portfolio, and is expected to provide attractive levels of income for shareholders once operational. We are also pleased to announce the power purchase agreement with Kimberly-Clark and its many UK leading consumer brands, helping this well known business to transition to renewable energy.”