Wind Turbine Investigation at Sharpness Docks

Published: 25/11/2009

British Waterways and Partnerships for Renewables have announced that they are assessing the feasibility of siting wind turbines on land at Sharpness Docks, on the river Severn. The early announcement of the plans will help ensure that local community input is incorporated into future development plans.

A minimum of 12 months of detailed assessment work will be required to establish whether the site is indeed suitable for wind turbines. Initial studies suggest that the site may be able to accommodate either one or two turbines with a combined generating capacity of between two to four megawatts.* The largest turbine to be considered for the site has a maximum tip height of 130 metres (the combined height of the tower and blades). The turbine size will decrease if the results of detailed study work show that either a smaller single turbine or a two turbine development is more suitable for the site.

A public exhibition – to introduce the proposal and the project team to the local community – will be held early in the New Year.

Tony Duffin, Regional Manager for Partnerships for Renewables, said: “Although we are at the early stages of our environmental and technical work, results so far have proved positive. We are committed to only developing renewable energy projects on appropriate sites.

“Even if the results of the detailed technical and environmental studies prove positive, we are unlikely to submit a planning application until spring 2011 at the earliest. At this stage we want to discuss the plans with neighbours of the site and ensure that information is publicly available.

“We are aware of the importance of the river Severn in terms of its birdlife and natural habitats and we are seeking to engage local environmental groups to ensure that the development is sensitive to the surrounding environment.”

Richard Mercer, from British Waterways, comments: “200 years after the waterways were built to serve the industrial revolution, it is important that we put our land and waterways to full use which includes helping to fight the battle against climate change.

“Should the plans at Sharpness Docks go ahead, then all the income that British Waterways generates will be reinvested into the looking after our canals and rivers for the benefit of the environment and local community.”

Anyone with an interest in the project can keep up to date with the latest information at www.pfr.co.uk/Sharpness, email pfr@communityrelations.co.uk or call 0800 731 7395.

Note to Editor

*Our studies show that at this stage a development of one or two wind turbines could be possible with an overall capacity of between two to four megawatts. A three megawatt wind development would be expected to generate over 6.5GWh of green energy per year. This is equivalent to the amount of energy used annually by more than 1,300 average households.

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