Greenvale is to install a 110-metre wind turbine.
The project, developed by UK on-site generation specialist, Wind Direct, will be built on Greenvale’s Floods Ferry site in Cambridgeshire, and will have an estimated total capacity of 1.5 MW.
The turbine is expected to meet the average annual electricity needs of 1000 homes, or 13 per cent of the residents of nearby town March in Cambridgeshire.
Building work on the turbine is due to commence at the end of April with completion due by the end of 2014.
Once commissioned, the turbine will be capable of generating up to 60 per cent of the electricity needed to power Greenvale’s potato packing facility and reduce the company’s reliance on fossil fuels.
Trevor Dear, operations director of Greenvale, said: “The wind turbine will secure a reliable energy supply for our packing site, generate jobs within the region, and reduce our impact on the environment. This is a key part of our environmental policy which aims to reduce our CO2 output by 20 per cent by 2015.”
Over the last five years, Wind Direct has worked in partnership with Greenvale to develop a planning application and successfully gain consent for the project with Fenland District Council. Wind Direct then negotiated a turbine supply contract with leading Spanish turbine manufacturer, Acciona as well as sourcing and structuring finance for the project.
Matthew Clayton, managing director of Triodos Renewables, which is partnering with Greenvale to construct the turbine, said: 'We are delighted to be working with Greenvale and to be building on their commitment to renewable energy. The sustainable ethos of Greenvale has made our collaboration on this project a very positive experience.
'This is a great start to 2014 for our shareholders, building on a record breaking 2013 for both Triodos Renewables and UK renewables industry. Last year the UK’s fleet of renewable projects generated 14.8 per cent of the nation’s power. With this project Triodos Renewables’ generating capacity has increased to 60MW.”
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