A ScottishPower Renewables’ project at Whitelee Windfarm has finally been completed after 15 years of work.

The £1.4 million enterprise was one of the most ambitious peatland restoration projects ever consented to a developer in the UK.

This is a significant milestone in valuable habitat conservation and climate change mitigation at Whitelee Windfarm, bringing SPRs investment in peatland restoration to four million pounds.

Jim Fairlie, Scottish Government Agriculture Minister, said: “Restoring degraded peatland is one of the most cost-effective ways we can reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change.

"There are many benefits, such as reducing flooding risks, improving water quality and improving local biodiversity.

“By increasing the pace and scale of peatland restoration we can restore our natural environment and tackle climate change more effectively and I am very pleased to mark this important milestone at Whitelee.”

£1.4 million was invested into this restoration project£1.4 million was invested into this restoration project (Image: ScottishPower Renewables) Degraded peatlands release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which make up around 15 per cent of Scotland’s emissions.

However, healthy peatlands store carbon and have a net cooling effect on the climate that makes them critical to mitigating the effects of climate change.

Over the last 15 years, SPR’s ecology team has worked with Strath Caulaidh Ltd to restore 1,113 hectares of peat bog – which could potentially store the equivalent of 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Peat is also a valuable habitat for all sorts of wildlife and as a result, diverse species of bird are living at Whitelee Wind Farm.

ScottishPower Renewables was nominated for a Sustainable Development Award, which it won, at the 2016 RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards for its work in developing innovative and industry-leading peatland restoration techniques.

Glenn Norris, ecologist at ScottishPower Renewables said: “At Whitelee, not only are we curbing carbon emissions through renewable energy technology, we’re also using peatland’s natural carbon sink potential.

“By restoring degraded peatlands we’re stopping them from emitting carbon dioxide and helping them store carbon in the soil, making them a carbon sink rather than a source; the benefits are two-fold.”