Kent is set to make a major contribution in the battle against global warming following the Government's green light for a wind farm on Romney Marsh.
The decision by Malcolm Wicks, the Energy Minister, to grant Section 36 Consent1 for npower renewables' Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm comes some three years after the initial proposals were unveiled. The announcement was made this morning (Tuesday 18 October) by the minister during a keynote speech at the British Wind Energy Association's annual conference in Cardiff.
"The decision to give Little Cheyne Court the go-ahead is excellent news and shows that the Government is serious about tackling climate change - the most urgent issue facing the future of our planet," said npower renewables' managing director, Kevin McCullough.
"Once built, Little Cheyne Court will make a significant contribution towards the Government's renewable energy targets2, both nationally and in the South East, which, up to now, has had no major onshore wind energy sources.
"It will also help in the drive to diversify the UK's energy supplies at a time when North Sea gas is running out and oil prices have hit record highs."
The state-of-the-art wind farm, which will be built on arable farmland on Romney Marsh, will have 26 wind turbines. Taking the project forward will involve selecting a suitable manufacturer to supply the turbines, which will be up to 116 metres in height (including the blades) and capable of generating two to three megawatts (MW) each, depending on the model selected. This will give the project a total capacity of between 52MW and 78MW.
Together, the turbines will produce enough pollution-free electricity every year to meet the equivalent domestic needs of some 75% of the homes in the Shepway District Council3 area. In addition, the project will prevent the annual release of some 130,000 tonnes4 of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming.
Since proposals for a wind farm at Little Cheyne Court were first announced in 2002, the plans have been subject to extensive public consultation and scrutiny, culminating in a Public Inquiry that concluded in January 2005.
The Public Inquiry heard evidence from interested parties including Kent County Council, Shepway District Council, npower renewables, English Nature, the RSPB, Greenpeace, the Green Party and Friends of the Earth - as well as more than 100 letters of support from local residents.
Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm will cost an estimated £50 million and local businesses are likely to be well-placed to secure construction-related contracts.
It is npower renewables' intention to establish a community fund of in excess of £50,000 per year to contribute towards local community, environment and educational purposes.
npower renewables will continue to liaise with Kent County Council and Shepway District Council to ensure minimum disruption to local residents, businesses and wildlife throughout the construction period. It is expected that preliminary work will begin before the end of the year and construction in 2006.
Contact:
Karen Jones, npower renewables
Tel: 01189 59 24 40
Philip Jones or Stuart Disbrey, Maxim PR & Marketing
Tel: 01892 513 033
Notes:
- Under Section 36 of the Electricity Act (1989) the Department of Trade & Industry is legally required to determine all applications for projects producing more than 50 megawatts of electricity, such as the Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm.
- The Government has a target of producing 10% of the UK's electricity requirements from renewable sources by 2010 and 15% by 2015, to help combat climate change - wind energy will make an important contribution towards meeting this target. One of the main causes of climate change is carbon dioxide released through, among other things, generating electricity by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil. Every unit of electricity generated by a wind farm displaces a unit that would have been generated by a fossil fuel power station and, therefore, helps to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released.
- Figure equates to more than 30,000 homes.
- Homes equivalent figures and carbon dioxide offset figures are calculated based on the use of 26 x 2.3MW wind turbines.
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