Title of Example

Example

The project so far

Since 2002 Bristol City Council’s Energy Management Unit (EMU) has been investigating the possibility of developing an on-shore wind farm next to the Severn Estuary. The area is part of the industial estate toe the north west of the city and was formerly occcupied by an fuel tank farm. The site is owned by the Council and has the potential to house two large wind turbines. To date, the EMU has self funded a 12-month wind speed study, 12-month bird counts and wildlife investigations. The geo-technical ground formations; possible radar implications and potential planning outcomes are presently being investigated. All of this work has been secured from one off bid funding. Having established that the project is practically viable the financial implications, both capital and revenue, need to be investigated before this development can continue.

The EMU is also being pro-active in reaching the BCC target of 15% of electricity consumption coming from renewables by 2010. Developing a wind turbine facility in Avonmouth is simply one step the EMU is taking to achieve this outcome. Its construction will lead to CO₂ reductions of 5,160 tonnes equating to 17.8% of the council’s electrical consumption. This reduction together with the 7.5% already achieved by purchased green electricity would achieve 25.3% reduction in the carbon emissions by the council, more than meeting the target set for 2010. This development will therefore assist in improving the Quality of Life for Bristol Residents.

The 12-month wind speed study has shown that the average wind speed is viable for turbines. All the other consultations and studies that have taken place show that the development would cause no negative effects on the wildlife, nor release soil contaminates which remain in the soil after the fuel tanks were removed.

Garrad Hassan have designed a turbine layout for the Avonmouth site. According to this layout the site can hold two turbines. They have considered various designs of turbine with the most conservative being the NM92. This has a hub height of 85m and a rotor diameter of 92m. If this specification was chosen and two were erected on site, their energy generation capacity would be 5.5MW.

NEXT STEPS:

Continue with various pieces of consultation work. These include

· Geo-technical information for foundation of turbines

· Radar/mobile phone implications

· Archaeological status of site (only needs to be investigated again during construction)

· Summer bird counts on site

It is thought that radar can be affected by wind turbines so both the local airfield and Bristol International Airports were informed about the proposed development. Bristol International had no concerns about the proposal, however the airfield, which is closer, did offer some objections. These objections have been investigated further and the Civil Aviation Authority has been consulted. The Airfield will have to prove why the development would be detrimental. It is expected that any developer would assist in that process and an independent consultant may need to be employed to aid in the process.

If the project succeeds then the electricity would be fed into the National Grid or some could be used by local development. The estimated cost of the project is £48,000 (approximately € 72,160).

Last Updated

13th January 2005