19th August 2003
The UK's vast wind power potential moved a step closer to realisation today with the installation of the first turbine at what will become the country's first major offshore wind farm.
North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, scheduled for completion later this year, is located 7.5km off the North Wales coast between Prestatyn and Rhyl in Denbighshire. On completion, North Hoyle will exclusively generate energy for npower's domestic electricity product Juice, the pioneering and deliberately non-premium joint venture between Greenpeace and npower launched in August 2001.
npower Juice alone now represents around a quarter of the UK's domestic green energy market.
North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm, developed by National Wind Power, npower's sister company, will comprise 30 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 60 megawatts (MW), and will provide enough electricity to meet the needs of up to 50,000 homes every year. The output will also offset the annual release of some 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. Construction of the wind farm is being undertaken by a consortium comprising Vestas Celtic Wind Technology and Mayflower Energy, both UK based companies.
Stephen Tindale, Executive Director of Greenpeace UK said, "The first turbine installed at North Hoyle represents a crucial milestone on the road to clean energy in the UK. The UK has the best offshore wind resource in Europe and now at last the offshore wind industry is about to take off. Thanks to the thousands of people who have already shown their support for offshore wind by switching to Juice, the wind farm has been developed at an unprecedented speed. This pioneering wind farm will lead the way towards the many more and bigger developments in UK waters that we so urgently need to help tackle global warming."
Andy Duff, Chief Executive Officer of npower said, "We have a responsibility to help make alternative energies as accessible and mainstream as possible. Much as supermarkets have seen a move towards more responsible buying, we are beginning to see a change in the way many homeowners select their energy. Through npower Juice our customers can now opt for clean, wind powered energy without the extra cost people associate with 'green' products."
npower and National Wind Power are both owned by Innogy a leading integrated energy company, part of the RWE group. Innogy has been at the forefront of developing alternative energy sources in the UK and is the country's biggest generator of renewable energy. In addition to Juice, in June 2002 npower also announced a partnership with the UK's leading solar company Solar Century to look into developing solar energy 'accounts' for domestic and business electricity users.
Juice customers have the opportunity to be not only consumers, but also active campaigners for clean energy. Many Juice customers have already lobbied Government in support of North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm and to demand Government support for renewable energy in the recent Energy White Paper.
Notes to editors
1. npower is one of the UK's largest energy providers supplying gas, electricity, home maintenance, warranty and conveyancing services to over 6 million customers anywhere in the UK mainland. It is a subsidiary of Innogy, an RWE business. www.npower.com/juice
2. Greenpeace is an independent non-profit global campaigning organisation that uses creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and their causes. It researches the solutions and alternatives to help provide a path for a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace does not financially benefit from Juice.www.greenpeace.org.uk.
3. National Wind Power has developed the leading position in the UK wind power market. Formed in August 1991, the company is also a subsidiary of Innogy and has offices in South East England, South West England, North East England, Wales and Scotland. NWP's team of over seventy professional staff have more experience of wind farm development and management in the UK than any other group. www.natwindpower.co.uk. 4. Approximately 85% of the capital expenditure of North Hoyle will be placed with companies based in the UK.
5. Until construction of North Hoyle is completed later this year, Juice is being sourced from existing onshore wind sources and a hydro plant based in Dolgarrog in the Snowdonia Mountains, which uses the plentiful natural supply of water to generate electricity. As a Juice customer, for every unit of electricity you use, a unit of Juice electricity is purchased by npower on your behalf. This means that although the electricity you receive is no different to normal electricity, it is ensured that an equivalent amount of electricity to that which you use is generated from clean, renewable sources.
6. Numerous studies indicate that in theory offshore wind could supply the total UK electricity requirement. In addition, the skills acquired over the decades in the oil and gas industry make the UK uniquely positioned to exploit this abundant renewable resource, with substantial potential for job creation in the new industry.
7. One of the major causes of global warming and climate change is the emission of large volumes of the gas carbon dioxide (CO2), resulting from, amongst other things, the generation of electricity by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil. Every unit of electricity generated from the wind, however, whether on land or at sea, takes the place of a unit that would otherwise have been generated by a fossil fuel power station, thus helping to reduce CO2 emissions and combat climate change.
8. The Government's new publication 'The Energy White Paper Our Energy Future - Creating a Low Carbon Future', published on 24 February 2003, confirms the Government's commitment to renewable energy and outlines its strategy for moving towards a low carbon economy over the next 50 years. In summary, the Government aims to reduce carbon emissions with an expansion of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Targets include working to cut emissions of CO2 by 60% of 1990 levels by 2050 and an "ambition" to double the existing target of generating 10% of electricity from renewables by 2010 to 20% by 2020. Additionally, the Government tabled a measure of investing £0 million more in renewable projects bringing spending on renewable energy up to £48 million in total over four years.
