SCOTLAND’S largest distiller, Diageo, has been granted planning permission to erect 9,000 solar panels at its packaging plant in Leven.
The solar panels will cover an area the size of eight football pitches and generate 22% of the site’s power.
The array will generate 4.1 megawatts of electricity – enough to power 2,500 houses.
Diageo – which makes whiskies including Bell’s, J&B, and Johnnie Walker – expects the first power to be produced by the panels early next year.
Gavin Brogan, operations director at Diageo Leven, said: “It’s fantastic to make this project a reality, creating a more resilient and energy-efficient plant.
“Working in partnership with Eon and Emtec Energy, the solar array will generate nearly a quarter of our annual energy use and is a fantastic step forward towards meeting our net zero commitments.
“We have a number of those projects in the pipeline, including looking into sustainable heating solutions, which the solar farm development will help to power.”
Diageo’s Leven bottling and packaging site produces 40 million cases of spirits every year and aims to be carbon neutral by 2026.
The company – which also makes Gordon’s gin, Guinness stout, and Smirnoff vodka – wants to reach net zero by 2030.
Three of its single malt distilleries – Brora, Oban, and Royal Lochnagar – have already reached net-zero carbon emissions.
Read more whisky stories in the July issue of Scottish Field magazine.
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