Work set to start on solar farm the size of eight football pitches in Fife town

Work is set to begin on a new 9,000 panel solar farm the size of eight football pitches in Fife.
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It is based at Diageo’s 150-acre Leven headquarters.

The company will get to work on the development on vacant land within its packaging site from July after receiving planning approval.

The panels will generate up to 22% of the site’s annual electricity needs and up to 60% over summer months.

Jay Christie and Gavin Brogan on the site of the solar farm (Pic: Mike Wilkinson)Jay Christie and Gavin Brogan on the site of the solar farm (Pic: Mike Wilkinson)
Jay Christie and Gavin Brogan on the site of the solar farm (Pic: Mike Wilkinson)
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The solar array is expected to be one of the largest of its type in Scotland, producing 4.1MW of electricity – enough to power 2,500 homes for a year – and reducing CO2 emissions by about 830 tonnes a year.

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Appropriately the news was announced on World Environment Day, and is a major step towards the site’s – and Diageo’s global – carbon neutrality goals

Diageo’s Leven bottling and packaging site produces 40 million cases of premium spirit every year and, under Diageo’s Society 2030 commitment, is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2026.

This ambitious 10-year sustainability action plan has been fully embraced by the Fife site which has commissioned a new mural, designed to give passers-by on the Windygates Road an insight into the factory and publicly reinforce its commitment to reducing its environmental impact.

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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 with E.ON 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.”He added: “Diageo is well-rooted in Leven and we are committed to playing a positive role in our local community, so we will continue to invest in projects like this one to improve our impact on the environment and future-proof our operations.

“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.”

Plans for the development of the site were submitted to Fife council in July 2021.

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, and Smirnoff.