The 152-turbine windfarm, which will be capable of powering up to 320,000 homes, will be built in Abington, South Lanarkshire. It will have a total capacity of 548 Megawatts, compared with the current biggest operational windfarm in Europe - the Maranchon windfarm in Guadalajara, Spain – which has a generating capacity of 208 MW. 

In addition, the development of the Clyde windfarm will bring £600m of investment, creating 200 jobs during construction with approximately 30 staff employed when fully operational. 

Speaking ahead of the World Renewable Energy Congress in Glasgow, First Minister Alex Salmond said that the Clyde windfarm will represent a very important step in making Scotland the “green energy capital of Europe.” 

He continued: "The Scottish Government has an ambitious target to generate 31 per cent of Scotland's electricity demand from renewable sources by 2011 and 50 per cent by 2020.  

"Today's announcement makes it virtually certain that the 2011 target will be met early and exceeded by the end of this Parliamentary term and represents a significant milestone on the way to achieving the 2020 target. "

He said that Scotland has a “clear, competitive advantage” in developing green energy sources such as wind, wave and tidal power, which he said is why the Scottish Government has put renewable energy at the “heart” of its vision for increasing sustainable economic growth. 

He continued: 

"Installed renewables capacity is already greater than nuclear capacity. But this announcement demonstrates that we are only at the start of the renewables revolution in Scotland. Combined with the crucial announcement of a new biomass plant in Fife on Friday, the Clyde declaration today makes this weekend one of the biggest advances ever in energy technology in Scotland."