The wind farm, which has been generating electricity for nearly 20 years, will be completely rebuilt as part of a £1.5 billion “repowering” project announced by its owner, ScottishPower Renewables.
The project will see the existing 215 turbines replaced in three phases with around 124 newer models, each standing around 110 metres taller than the current turbines.
Charlie Jordan, chief executive of ScottishPower Renewables, said to the BBC: “At this critical moment in the push for home-grown clean, green energy, it’s important we don’t go in reverse and lose the clean capacity that’s been hard-earned over the last two decades as it comes to the end of its operational life.”
The rebuild will take 10 years to complete and aims to double the wind farm’s electricity output from 539 megawatts to 1 gigawatt—enough to power approximately 650,000 homes.
A full planning application is expected to be submitted by the end of next year, with the upgraded site set to be fully operational by 2035.
The first phase of Whitelee was officially opened in 2009 by then First Minister Alex Salmond and originally featured 140 turbines.
It has since become a well-known feature of the local landscape, not only for its scale but also for its recreational offerings.
The 83 sq km site includes footpaths and tracks for walkers, as well as a visitor centre, making it a popular spot for residents, particularly dog walkers.
ScottishPower Renewables has confirmed that the site will remain accessible to the public during the rebuild.
The wind farm is almost half the size of neighbouring Glasgow.
Whitelee is not the first Scottish wind farm to be upgraded in this way.
Hagshaw Hill in South Lanarkshire saw its 26 turbines replaced with 14 larger models last year.
However, Whitelee will be the largest to have all its turbines replaced, and the company says 99% of the existing turbines will be recycled.
With more than half of Great Britain’s wind farm capacity expected to reach the end of its operational life within the next 10 years, more will be considered for repowering, creating a pipeline of construction work.
The Whitelee rebuild alone is expected to generate an estimated £330 million for the Scottish economy.
ScottishPower Renewables said its three-phase approach to repowering the site meant the site could remain accessible to the public during the rebuild.