Scottish Power transforms its peatland monitoring, 
cutting costs and accelerating compliance approvals

Introduction

Scottish Power, a leading renewable energy provider, develops wind farms on peatlands, requiring accurate restoration monitoring to meet compliance and carbon commitments. Manual surveys were costly, slow, and incomplete, risking regulatory penalties and rising restoration costs.

Problem

Scottish Power needed cost-effective, large-scale monitoring for peatland restoration on wind farm sites to comply with NatureScot regulations. Manual surveys were slow, costly (£1,000–£1,500 per hectare), and covered only 33% of sites, leaving gaps in compliance reporting. Failure to detect degradation early risked double restoration costs (£2,000–£3,000 per hectare) and regulatory penalties, delaying project approvals. A scalable, accurate, and efficient solution was essential to protect investments and meet carbon commitments.

Our Solution

Gentian worked closely with Scottish Power to develop a custom peatland monitoring solution using Gentian True Oracle. By integrating high-resolution satellite imagery and AI-driven analysis, the solution provided full-site assessments in days, identifying degradation, invasive species, and restoration success. 

Results

By implementing Gentian True Oracle, Scottish Power reduced peatland monitoring costs by up to 50% and achieved full-site analysis in days instead of weeks. The solution provided 100% site coverage, compared to 33% with manual surveys, ensuring early detection of degradation and compliance with NatureScot regulations. With accelerated reporting, Scottish Power avoided costly restoration penalties (£2,000–£3,000 per hectare) and strengthened its carbon and biodiversity commitments, supporting sustainability-linked funding applications.