Turbine installation begins at Mill Rig Wind Farm 

A MAJOR £155m renewables project in South Lanarkshire, set to deliver £5m in community benefits over the next 30 years and power to over 45,000 homes has taken its next vital step to energisation.   

OnPath Energy, working in close collaboration with South Lanarkshire Council, has commenced delivery of turbine components for Mill Rig Wind Farm’s six N163/5.X turbines managed by leading global turbine manufacturer Nordex.  

Deliveries have been carefully planned to take place through the night to minimise disruption with components including initial tower sections, nacelles, drive trains, and hubs to be delivered throughout December and into January. Pre-installation of the components will take place in parallel with deliveries to maximise efficiency.   

Delivery of Mill Rig’s 80m wind turbine blades, the longest that will be fitted to turbines in the UK to date, is expected early in the new year ready ahead of commissioning and full energisation of the 33.4MW South Lanarkshire wind farm in the spring.  

The new wind farm will feature six turbines with tip heights of 199.5 meters. With blades that sweep 50% more area than the largest turbines at Kype Muir Extension, the Mill Rig turbines, helped by their higher rated power – produce around 33% more energy. This means the new site will deliver a greater yield of renewable electricity while also driving an increase in community benefits.   

Welcoming Nordex on site represents a key moment for Mill Rig. Their team brings vast technical expertise and a strong track record of safe and efficient turbine delivery.” 

Martin Kellerman, Construction Director at OnPath Energy

 Martin Kellerman, construction director at OnPath Energy, said:  “Throughout December, Nordex started pre-erection activity, which includes assembling the lower tower sections and preparing the site for the delivery of the larger components in early 2026.”  

Working in close collaboration with OnPath Energy, Nordex has previously supplied turbines for projects including the Kype Muir Extension.  

The onshore Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specialises in the design, sale, installation, manufacture and servicing of wind turbines in the 3 to 6+ MW market. Headquartered in Hamburg, Nordex has production facilities in Germany, Brazil, India, the US, Morocco, South Africa, Finland, Turkey, China, and Spain.  To date, Nordex has installed wind turbines with a total capacity of around 61 GW in over 40 countries worldwide.  

Danny Hasledine, Director Sales, UK & Ireland, Nordex Group comments: “We’re proud to be partnering once again with OnPath on the Mill Rig project and we are especially excited that this will mark the first installation of our N163/5.X turbine in the UK. It’s a significant step forward, not just for Nordex, but for high-performance onshore wind in this region.”  

“Our continued collaboration with OnPath reflects a shared commitment to delivering impactful, future-ready energy projects.”  

Initial deliveries, including the bottom two tower sections which started in November and will continue through December and into the new year.   

The works were carried out using smaller cranes, before the arrival of the 80-metre blades and upper tower sections in early 2026.  

The full turbine erection phase is expected to begin in the Q1 2026, with the final components assembled using specialist large-scale cranes supplied by Global Port Services.   

The erection process is forecasted to be completed by the end of March next year, with commissioning and energisation to follow.  

OnPath worked with trusted partner Natural Power to provide Owner’s Engineer services for Mill Rig Wind Farm, providing end-to-end technical and construction management expertise. They were responsible for co-ordination of design safety in their role as Principal Designer under the construction, design and management (CDM) regulations, monitoring progress of the works, and the co-ordination of contractors to maintain quality and compliance throughout the build. 

Angie Smith, Construction Project Manager from Natural Power said: “We were delighted to continue supporting OnPath on this project, building on a wide range of pre-construction site investigations and geotechnical surveys, peatland assessments and seismic studies already delivered. We look forward to seeing the project through the construction phase and on to the handover to operations”. 

Martin Kellerman added: “These are complex operations that require precision and coordination. Nordex’s experience and commitment to safe, staged assembly means we can proceed with confidence.”  

“Once operational, these turbines will provide clean electricity to the equivalent of 45,000 homes each year – while also feeding millions of pounds in long-term value back into surrounding communities.”  

The delivery of the specialist turbine components involved a complex international supply chain, with blades shipped from Portugal along with other components sourced from factories across Germany and Turkey.  

Transport logistics will be managed by McFadyens, a Scottish heavy haulage firm based in Campbeltown, which is overseeing the movement of parts from King George V Dock in Glasgow to the rural site.  

While the turbines themselves are highly specialised and require skilled international engineers, OnPath Energy continues to prioritise local businesses across its construction programme in line with its OnPath Together development approach which commits to a 65% lifetime spend in the local area.   

The wider Mill Rig development is supporting around 300 jobs, with an estimated £91 million of contract value directed to firms within 60km of the site.  

Mill Rig is the latest in a series of major renewable energy projects by OnPath Energy, and forms part of its growing operational portfolio of 12 wind farms across the UK.  

The project also features a £5 million community benefit fund that will support local groups, organisations, and environmental projects across South Lanarkshire over the lifespan of the wind farm.