Scottish Water's renewables output now double its power consumption

Renewable power generated by Scottish Water and by third-party plant hosted on its premises has reached double the water firm’s electricity consumption.

The company now generates and hosts renewable capacity producing 923 GWh a year. Its annual consumption is about 440 GWh.

The company’s initiatives include self-generation on many of its sites through including hydro, wind, photovoltaic solar, biomass boilers and combined heat and power, as well as hosting third-party private generation such as large-scale windfarms.

Scottish Water said it had raised the annual financial benefits from energy bill reductions increased renewable generation to more than £8m and facilitated more than £390m of private investment on its estate.

More than 70 of the company’s water and wastewater treatment works are either self-sufficient or partly sufficient in their power requirements, leading to lower operating costs and a more sustainable business.