May 12, 2007
U.K.
U.K.
Plans have been drawn up to upgrade the North-East’s first wind farm with bigger and more powerful turbines.
The Great Eppleton site near Hetton-le-Hole was installed by Amec Wind 10 years ago and is one of the few sites to use two-bladed turbines.
These are now considered to be an ageing technology and one of the site’s four turbines has been reduced to one blade.
The turbines are 72 metres high and together have a generating capacity of three megawatts (3MW) which provides power for up to 1,300 homes. Power company E.ON UK Renewables wants to replace the old turbines with four machines up to 115 metres high.
Each one of the new turbines alone can generate two to three megawatts, feeding up to 9,000 homes. The upgrade would contribute more than half of the renewable energy target set for Tyne and Wear under the draft regional spatial strategy.
An E.ON spokeswoman said yesterday that a decision is expected from Sunderland City Council next week.
“These early turbines have been completely superseded by new machines and these would massively increase the power provided,” said the spokeswoman.
By The Journal
12 May 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/05/12/plan-for-more-powerful-turbines/