Green energy given boost by wind farm extension

Works have started on the large extension to Burton Wold Wind Farm, Northamptonshire, First Renewable Developments (FRD) has announced. The £45 million extension will see a further nine turbines added to the site, which will boost the projects generation capabilities. Planning permission for the extension was granted for the additional turbines in the summer of 2012 to increase the amount of green energy that the UK generates.

Not only is the site set to benefit from more turbines, but the new technology that is to be installed will be high efficiency. This means that the nine new turbines will be able to harness around twice the amount of energy that the older turbines on the site can. They are to be some of the first high efficiency wind turbines to be installed within Europe. It is hoped that the installation of further technology on the wind farm will help to provide more energy security for the UK as power prices continue to rise.

Some 14 megawatts of green energy will be generated by the extension at the Burton Wold Wind Farm, which is enough to power around 11,000 homes. The turbines are expected to arrive at the site in spring next year and ground works are currently underway to prepare for their installation. It is expected that commissioning of the turbines will take place in summer 2014 before they begin to operate at full capacity.

Alex Jelley, Kettering Borough Council Economic Regeneration manager, said: “This private sector investment is indicative of how our community is growing - houses, jobs, infrastructure and energy. That sort of growth, responsible growth, is exactly why Kettering is recognised as fast becoming the place to be. We look forward to the new additions to our skyline, and the clean, green megawatts flowing from them into our homes and businesses.”

As well as helping to power more homes using green energy, the additional turbines on the wind farm will also help to reduce the amount of air pollution created by the UK when it comes to power generation. Not only could this help in the country's fight against climate change, but it will also help Britain achieve the EU's 2020 emissions targets.