Turf cutting marks official start of work on £30m County Durham windfarm
Friday 11 July 2008
A special ceremony has taken place to mark the official start of work on the north east’s largest wind farm.
North West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong and Cllr Alex Watson, leader of Derwentside District Council, joined Harry Banks, founder and chairman of the Banks Group, in cutting the turf at the £30m West Durham Wind Farm in front of an audience of invited guests.
Situated on land near Tow Law, in the vicinity of Banks’ own offices in the town, the 12-turbine scheme will provide enough renewable energy to power around 15,700 households, which equates to 46% of all households in the Derwentside district.
The first of the turbines, which will have a 100m tip height, are due to arrive on site early in 2009, with full energisation of the scheme being complete by the following summer.
Part of the land on which the development will stand was the site of a now-restored Stonefoot Hill surface mine that Banks operated in the 1980s.
Rob Williams, Renewables Projects Director at Banks Developments, says:
“The turf cutting ceremony is a very significant moment for both us as a company, and for Tow Law’s growing reputation as an energy generation centre, and we’re very pleased to be receiving the support of our local MP and council leader in getting the project officially under way.
“The recent Government announcement on the future of energy in the UK highlighted the importance of on-shore wind power generation, and the West Durham Wind Farm will further enhance the provision of secure local energy generation that our region enjoys, an issue that is becoming of increasing importance to north east industries.
“The construction of this wind farm means that the districts of County Durham have achieved the targets for zero carbon generation they were set in the regional planning strategy, making them the only region of the North East, and one of only a handful in England, to do so.
“The Banks Group has grown from its original surface mining foundations to now play a significant role in the UK renewables market as well, and we are making major investments in projects across the UK which will renewable sources to help meet Britain’s ever-growing domestic and industrial energy requirements.”
Cllr Alex Watson, leader of Derwentside District Council, says: “Derwentside District Council takes global warming very seriously, and
indeed supports wholeheartedly the Green revolution, and we appreciate the value of these 12 wind turbines in reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere." Last updated: Monday 21 July 2008, 17:02 PM
|
