The 33-turbine project is located approximately 7km south of Strathy village, in an area of commercial forestry plantation, and received planning consent from the Scottish Government in November 2011.
Enabling works started at site in summer 2013 and included the construction of a new access track so that construction traffic for the main phase of the project can bypass Strathy village.
Construction of the £109m project is expected to take around two years to complete, with the site being fully operational by the end of 2015. The first priority will be to build the main access route though the site and also the spur roads out to each of the turbine locations, before beginning the construction of the turbine bases later in the year.
SSE’s Project Manager, Rod Crawford, said: "This is an important step forward for the project and we are delighted to be working with RJ McLeod again. The construction of Strathy North wind farm will bring significant benefits to the area in the form of community funds, use of local services, and employment and opportunities for the local supply chain.
"As a responsible developer with a strong heritage in the north of Scotland SSE is also working closely with the local community and regular liaison meetings will be held throughout the main construction phase to keep people up to date with the project.
"The local community funds are also in the process of being set-up and once established, will deliver around £4.5m over 25 years to the local area, in addition to a further £4.25m contributed into SSE’s Highland Sustainable Development Fund over the same period."
RJ McLeod’s North Director, Sandy Osborne, said: "We are delighted to be working with SSE Renewables once again. We have now built over fifty wind farms, including eight for SSE Renewables, and the Strathy North project will allow us to continue to provide ongoing, and additional, employment for technical and construction staff based in the north of Scotland as well as opportunities for the local supply chain."
The ‘Strathy North Business Opportunities Event’ is being held in Strathy Village Hall on Wednesday 26 February from 11am-3pm and 5pm-8pm and will provide an excellent opportunity to meet SSE and principal contractor, RJ McLeod.
