The nine beef and sheep farmers have formed a co-operative company through which they will sell ‘green’ electricity from 18 wind turbines (two per farm) to the national grid.
Several years of thorough research and preparation have paid off for the co-operative which has just been awarded a 42 per cent Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) grant towards the cost of construction.
Ground works will be getting underway shortly and the first six turbines should be operational in the spring, with the rest going live over the summer.
“We are taking a long-term view with this project,” said co-operative chairman Royston Symons, who farms near Bude.
“We are using our natural assets to increase the amount of emission-free power generated in Cornwall, and it will also help our farms to stay profitable.
“Ideally, we would eventually like to sell our electricity to local companies and we are already talking to some.”
The decision to have two 15-metre high turbines with a 20-kilowatt capacity per farm was taken after in-depth fact-finding, financial planning and research. The group was helped to assess the options by the South West Rural Enterprise Gateway (REG) service which provided extensive information and also visits to other farmers, fairs and exhibitions.
Before settling on wind power, Royston and his colleagues investigated other ways of producing green power, including growing crops for fuel and generating hydro-electricity, but settled on wind power because it made best use of their locations and natural resources.
Planning consent was required for the proposal and that required careful consideration relating to positioning the turbines – keeping visual impact from public places to a minimum and ensuring the turbines would not interfere with microwave communications networks, such as those used by the emergency services.
“As we will have 18 turbines on different sites over our nine farms, that took quite a bit of working out,” said Royston.
”Now our plans are attracting quite a lot of positive interest. We’re already getting calls from other farmers, so I expect that we are leading the way with this project.”
Information about support through the RDPE is available by visiting www.sw-ruralgateway.info or by calling Business Link on 0845 600 9966.
Addtional information
For further information, please contact Pat Murray, South West RDA communications team, on 07733264756
Notes to editors
RDPE
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) runs from 2007 to 2013. It is the 2nd pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy and aims to support the creation of genuinely sustainable farming, forestry and food sectors, whilst also bringing wider benefits for the economy, the environment and rural communities. It provides the major financial vehicle for protecting and enhancing the environment and securing a range of public benefits for society. Defra is the Managing Authority.
The RDPE has three priorities for rural development:
1. Improving competitiveness of the agriculture and forestry sectors
2. Improving the environment and the countryside
3. Improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of economic activity
In this region, the South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) will deliver priorities 1and 3 with a budget of £156.8 million over the seven years. The RDA is also responsible for ensuring that five per cent of the RDPE funding is spent on enabling community involvement in rural development. The delivery partners in the South West aim to ensure that investment in each of the three priorities will help support investment in the others.
The RDPE priority for improving the environment and the countryside is being delivered nationally by the Forestry Commission’s Woodland Grant Scheme and Natural England’s Environmental Stewardship Scheme. In addition, a minimum of 5% of the programme will be delivered through a local community-led approach.
The aims, objectives and priorities for delivering RDPE in South West England were agreed for the socio-economic investments with regional partners and these are set out in the Regional Implementation Plan. On the basis of a thorough analysis of South West England’s rural characteristics and economy, the Plan sets out eight themes:
- i. Skills development
- ii. Social enterprise
- iii. Business support
- iv. Supply chain and adding value
- v. Resource management (soil, water, energy, waste)
- vi. Sustainable rural tourism
- vii. Biodiversity and landscape
- viii. Community-led development
Further more information on the RDPE and the schemes see www.sw-ruralgateway.info
Organisations involved in delivering RDPE
The South West RDA leads the development of a sustainable economy, investing to unlock the region’s business potential. It works in partnership with public, private and social purpose organisations to drive up the region’s productivity by giving people the skills they need, encouraging enterprise, improving infrastructure, regenerating places and promoting the strengths of the region. For more information see www.southwestrda.org.uk
Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. It conserves and enhances the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings. For more information see www.naturalengland.org.uk Environmental Stewardship (ES) was launched in 2005, builds on the very best practice already evident in British farming. During the period 2007-13 the national budget for ES will be £2.9 billion. The objectives of ES are to:
Conserve wildlife (biodiversity).
Maintain and enhance landscape quality and character.
Protect the historic environment and natural resources.
Promote public access and understanding of the countryside.
Natural resource protection.
The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. It supports woodland owners with grants, tree felling licences, regulation and advice; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises Government on forestry policy. For further information, visit http://www.forestry.gov.uk/southwestengland
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