County Durham renewable energy firm celebrates two “landmark” achievements

The UK onshore wind farms owned and operated by Banks Renewables have hit two major energy generation “landmarks”.

After generating one million megawatt hours of green energy in the last two years alone, the firm’s 10 onshore wind farms have just produced their three millionth megawatt hour of green energy in total, which is enough to meet the annual electricity needs of around 1,040,000 homes, or a city three times the size of Birmingham.

The electricity generated by the portfolio has also displaced around 584,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the UK’s electricity supply network, while a total of around £3.5m has so far been distributed from the community funds linked to each wind farm, which provide funding for voluntary groups, environmental projects and more.

The family-owned firm currently operates four onshore wind farms in Yorkshire, as well as two each in North East England, North West England and Scotland.

Its generating capacity is set to increase further this year with the 15-turbine Kype Muir Extension Wind Farm in South Lanarkshire due to come online imminently, while it has also secured planning permission for the Lethans and Mill Rig Wind Farms in Scotland.

The company recently also secured planning permission to extend the lifespan of its Armistead Wind Farm in South Cumbria up to a maximum of 40 years, and is looking to do the same for four more of its wind farms across Yorkshire and the North East.

Richard Dunkley, managing director at Banks Renewables, commented: “The far-sightedness of our decision to use revenues generated from coal mining to drive a successful diversification into the renewable energy sector has been amply demonstrated over almost two decades.

“Alongside the environmental and energy security benefits they’re delivering, our wind farms also make a vital, long-term contribution to the well-being of the communities in which they’re located, a contribution which is well recognised by the people who live in them.

“This direct community contribution has become more important than ever before and we are committed to maintaining it for the long-term in ways which are most appropriate for each individual location.”

“We are focused on maximising our contribution to the UK’s transition to net zero by continuing to increase the amount of clean energy that we generate for use in the UK’s homes, school, hospitals and businesses, both from our onshore wind farms and through the new technologies that we’re looking to deploy in the coming years.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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