Wind energy exhibition in Oakdale

Published: 01/09/2010

An exhibition to share information about a wind energy investigation at Oakdale Business Park will be held on Wednesday (September 8).

Plans will be on display showing details of early explorations into the possibility of putting two turbines on Caerphilly County Borough Council land at the business park.

The event will be held in Oakdale village and is being run by renewable energy developer Partnership for Renewables, in partnership with the Council.

Tony Duffin, Regional Manager at Partnerships for Renewables commented: “We are still at the early stages of investigating the site at Oakdale Business Park, but initial studies suggest it could be suitable for up to two wind turbines with a generating capacity of 2.5 megawatts each. This could generate around 11 gigawatt hours (GWh) of green electricity every year, enough to power 2,400 homes*. We look forward to welcoming the local community, discussing plans with them and gaining their feedback.”

Councillor Ron Davies, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Countryside said, “We announced our intention to investigate wind energy potential in the area in September 2009 and we are pleased that this project is progressing well with our new partners. We are obviously keen to involve local residents in the process so consultation will form a key part at every stage of the development. Both Caerphilly County Borough Council and Partnerships for Renewables are committed to open and honest engagement and we look forward to working with the community to deliver these exciting proposals.”

“The council has an ambitious sustainable regeneration strategy in place and we are committed to the concept of ''Living Better, Using Less.'' Investigating wind energy is a vital part of our future energy mix and we are proud to have the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to meeting renewable energy targets and promoting sustainability." 

As part of the development process the possibility of feeding electricity directly to local businesses based at the business park is being explored. This would ensure that as well as contributing towards national targets, the turbines will benefit communities and businesses locally, by providing reduced price electricity.

The public exhibition – to introduce the proposal and the project team to the community – will be held on September 8, 2010 from 2pm to 7pm at Harley’s Lodge, Islwyn Road, Oakdale, Gwent, NP12 0LG.

For further information about the site and the types of environmental and technical investigations involved, please visit: www.pfr.co.uk/Oakdale

* Note: The environmental benefit figures are based on two 2.5 megawatt turbines, operating with a 25% capacity factor; average household electricity use of 4478kWh per annum; and the electricity generated displacing electricity generated from CCGT / average fuel mix - approx. 430gCO2/kWh.

-Ends-

For further information please contact:

Jo Reeves, Communications Officer, Partnerships for Renewables

Tel: 07540 688 031 or email: jo.reeves@pfr.co.uk

Editor’s notes:

• Partnerships for Renewables is a Carbon Trust Enterprise set up to partner with public sector bodies to explore renewable energy potential on their land. This means that all development costs are met by Partnerships for Renewables and their partners do not have to divert any funds away from frontline services. Should the development go ahead, Caerphilly County Borough Council will receive a percentage of the profits from the electricity generated by the wind turbines.

For more information on PfR please visit www.pfr.co.uk

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