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BT announces ambitious wind power plans |
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Thursday, 18 October 2007 |
BT today unveiled plans to develop wind farms aimed at generating up to 25 per cent of its existing UK electricity requirements by 2016. The wind farm scheme represents the UK's biggest corporate wind power project outside of the energy sector.
The project, costing up to £250m, will bring together third party
funding and renewable energy partners to safeguard future supplies of
clean, green energy for BT as part of the company’s strategy to reduce
carbon emissions.
BT is currently identifying high wind-yield sites on or adjacent to
BT-owned land for development with the aim of generating power from
2012 onwards.
It was confirmed today that it has applied for planning permission for
test masts at two Scottish sites – Wideford Hill Radio Station in
Orkney and Scousburgh Radio Station in Shetland – as well as Goonhilly
Satellite Earth Station in Cornwall.
BT is one of Britain’s biggest consumers of electricity, with an annual
requirement of around 0.7 per cent of the UK’s entire consumption. Its
wind farms could generate a total of 250MW of electricity, enough to
meet the power needs of 122,000 homes – roughly the size of Aberdeen
and Inverness combined. This would prevent the release of 500,000
tonnes of CO2 each year compared with coal generation – equivalent to a
quarter of a million return air trips to New York.
Subject to planning consent and suitable sites being secured, BT’s wind
farms would have a total installed generating capacity of around 100MW
by 2012, equivalent to around fifty wind turbines, with the remaining
150MW targeted by 2016.
BT is committed to working responsibly with local communities and will
ensure that they are engaged throughout the development process.
Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland and a member of Scotland’s
Climate Change Business Delivery Group, said: "Organisations must
reduce carbon in ways that make business sense. Broadband technology
is already cutting the need to travel through home working and
conferencing, which help the bottom line as well as the environment and
are particularly pertinent in Scotland, where remoteness and geography
are challenges.
"BT has already achieved a 60 per cent reduction in its carbon
emissions, and is committed to reducing them further to 80 per cent by
2016. Our wind energy plans will play a significant part in reducing
our footprint and in turn help Scotland, where we are a major employer
with an extensive supply chain, to meet its commitments.
"All our stakeholders, including our people, customers and
shareholders, want and expect us to work in a more environmentally
friendly way that is sensitive to local need."
John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth,
said: "Scotland has a vast potential to generate electricity from
renewable energy. We must be in a position to maximise our resources,
which is why the Scottish Government will build an energy strategy
which will include the whole renewable mix - including wind generation.
"I am encouraged to hear about projects such as BT's, which are
designed to safeguard supplies of clean, green energy while reducing
carbon emissions. We want to see the right onshore wind developments in
suitable locations that do not adversely impact on the environment and
help us deliver a greener future for Scotland."
One person has commented on this article. 1. BT announces ambitious wind power plans
Anonymous, Unregistered But, Mr Swinney show us exactly (using a map) where the "suitable" and by extrapolation, unsuitable, locations are.
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