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Wind farm hit by delivery delays now up and running

The giant turbine blades made their way through the Borders

A wind farm in the Borders which was hit by a string of delays to the delivery of its giant turbines is now up and running.

The 65m (210ft) turbines became a familiar sight on the roads in the area on their way to the Pines Burn site near Hawick.

The deliveries started in November last year and were completed in May following numerous cancellations due to a variety of reasons.

Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has committed to buying 100% of the energy generated by the development.

Dougie Johnston A giant turbine on the back of a lorry makes its way through the centre of HawickDougie Johnston
The turbine deliveries took six months to complete

The turbine blades were delivered on special blade lifters in order to shorten the length of the load.

Developers put a dedicated website in place and a Facebook page to warn residents about the movements.

High winds forced the cancellation of blade movement on nearly 30 occasions.

They were also targeted by vandals and suffered a vehicle breakdown.

Sainsbury's A set of wind turbines on a Borders hillside surrounded by stretches of forest and a cloudy blue skySainsbury's
Sainsbury's will buy 100% of the energy produced by the wind farm

The seven-turbine project is now fully commissioned - becoming the eighth development to sell all its energy to Sainsbury's.

It is expected to produce about 92,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity every year on average, which is about 8% of the company's annual energy needs.

Patrick Dunne, a director with Sainsbury's, said it was another "fantastic step" towards reducing its reliance on carbon.

Developers Energiekontor said they were delighted to have completed another important infrastructure project in Scotland.

A joint statement from the two companies - and asset management firm Capital Dynamics - said: "We'd like to thank all the nearby communities for their support and patience during the construction of Pines Burn wind farm, including the delicate process of transporting the turbines to the site."