The two wind farms owned and operated by renewable energy firm Banks Renewables in North West England generated enough electricity in the company’s last financial year to meet the annual electricity needs of more than nearly 19,000 homes – the equivalent of a town the size of Accrington.
The Armistead scheme, which sits to the east of the M6 between junctions 36 and 37, and the Heysham South wind farm generated almost 61,000 MWh of electricity between them over the 12 months to the end of September.
And by doing so, they displaced over 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the electricity supply network.
The six-turbine Armistead wind farm led the way by generating 35,100 MWh over 12 months, with the three-turbine Heysham South scheme producing 25,750 MWh during the same period.
Over the year, the two wind farms also delivered revenues totalling more than £25,000 for their respective community benefits funds, which provide financial support for capital projects being undertaken by groups and good causes in their respective local communities.
Banks Renewables is one of the leading owner/operators in the UK’s onshore wind sector and has a total of eight operational sites across northern England, with a further two in Scotland and plans for more to follow.
The family-owned firm is now working on deploying further renewable energy technologies at sites across northern England with a number of new projects now at different stages of development.
Richard Dunkley, Managing Director at Banks Renewables, says: “Our two North West wind farms have performed very impressively in the last year, helping us to increase our contribution to the UK’s drive towards its ‘net zero’ objectives, and we’re committed to further extending our renewable energy generation capacity across the country in the years to come.
“As well as increasing the amount of clean green electricity available to power our homes, schools and workplaces, our wind farms also make a direct contribution to the well-being of the communities in which they’re located.
“The UK has set itself ambitious future targets for renewable energy generation, targets that will require the development of innovative new infrastructure, and the plans that we’re currently developing will further extend the contribution that we can make towards them being achieved.
“Using the widest possible range of renewable energy generation technologies will allow the UK to decarbonise its power supply and achieve its climate change targets more quickly, while also benefiting British consumers through lower energy prices.”