Located in the Ochil Hills, the 7-megawatt, 23-acre project will supply up to a quarter of the group’s electricity needs for its main Blackford site. Construction is due to start in Summer 2025 and it is expected that the solar farm will be fully operational by early 2026.

SSE has been appointed to manage the installation and running of the solar site on behalf of Highland Spring Group.

In addition to providing power to the manufacturing site and offices, the project has direct, tangible benefits for the local community including a sensitive design to minimise its visual impact, providing a free-of-charge electricity supply to Blackford Primary School and rapid EV chargers for community use.

In recent years, Highland Spring Group has accelerated its business decarbonisation roadmap, delivering projects and initiatives in collaboration with customers and partners which reduce emissions across its entire operations from source to shelf.

The business was one of the first companies in the UK to have its science-based net-zero target approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) under the Net-Zero Standard and recently attained a B score from the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP) for its work to address climate change.

Jim Fairlie MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire said: “Highland Spring are an important local employer who have done a power of work in recent years to decarbonise. I welcome this partnership between Highland Spring and SSE, and the community benefit that it will bring both for the school and with the community use EV chargers.”

Simon Oldham, managing director Highland Spring Group, said: “Environmental and social responsibility have always been at the heart of our purpose and this project not only positively supports our sustainability strategy but our good neighbour programme too. Harnessing the renewable energy transition is a key part of our journey towards a zero-carbon future, and we are delighted to have collaborated with SSE to bring this solar site to life.”

Stuart Batty, senior project development manager, said: “This partnership with Highland Spring marks a key step in Scotland’s renewable energy journey. By uniting our expertise with Highland Spring’s sustainable leadership, the 7MW solar project is a fantastic example of local power in action, decarbonising businesses and enhancing energy resilience for the community.”