Quick Facts
| Status: | Consented |
|---|---|
| Project Capacity: | 18.5MW |
| No. Turbines: | 9 |
| Turbine Type: | tbc |
| Hub Height: | 80m |
| Blade Length: | 45m |
| Homes Powered: | 9000 |
| Annual CO2 savings: | 20600 tonnes |
Location
The Middlewick Wind Farm is located on the coast at the Dengie Peninsula in Essex, 3km east of Southminster.
Site Description
The site will be comprised of 9 turbines. These will be rated most likely at 2.05MW each, giving the whole wind farm a rated capacity of 18.5MW. Each turbine will be approximately 80 metres to the hub with 45 metre blades resulting in a maximum tip height of 125 metres. The project also includes all the ancillary equipment and features such as access tracks, anemometer mast, underground cables, substation and control building. The electricity from the Middlewick Wind Farm is due to feed into the local distribution network operated by EDF via a new purpose built underground grid connection.
A site layout can be seen by clicking here.
Planning permission for the Middlewick Wind Farm was granted in May 2011.
The pre-construction phase of the project is now underway, the arrangements for all elements of the wind farm being brought into place. The project will take around 9 months to construct. After the construction, the land around the turbines returns to normal agricultural use and will remain in this state for the lifetime of the wind farm, expected to be 25 years. The 9 turbines will have produced enough energy within 6-9 months of operation to become energy neutral – repaying all the energy used in manufacture and installation of the wind farm.
The site will not be permanently staffed but is monitored remotely and visited regularly by technicians for scheduled maintenance and repairs. After 25 years the turbines and associated infrastructure are removed and the land is returned to the pre-wind farm condition.
Benefits
During construction a large amount of money will be fed into the local economy. Millions of pounds are to be spent during the development and construction of the Middlewick Wind Farm with local contractors benefiting significantly.
A community trust fund will be set up which will receive a portion of the revenue generated by the wind farm. The amount offered is based on the yearly output and will continue over the 25 year life time of the project. This will be a minimum of £36,000 – £54,000 annually.
RidgeWind offer educational visits to local schools to hold presentations and workshops; we also offer trips to our wind farms on a regular basis.
The Middlewick Wind Farm at 18.5MW would have the ability to meet the energy demands of over 9000 homes, over 38% of all homes in the Maldon District Area (using an appropriate capacity factor for the East of England Region, DTI 2006). With a nominal capacity factor of 24%, 9 x 2.05MW turbines will generate over 37.8GWh of green electricity every year, which is 37.8million units of electricity (kWh). This green electricity generated displaces other generated electricity including fossil fuels and will therefore prevent the release of at least 20,600 tonnes of CO2 every year as well as thousands of tonnes of other harmful greenhouses gases such as Nitrogen Oxides and Sulphur Dioxide (NOx and SO2).
The Middlewick Wind Farm will also provide additional financial benefits to the local community.
Contact
If you want to get in touch to discuss anything regarding the Middlewick Wind Farm, please look at our contact page or send us an email to middlewick@ridgewind.com
*The images have been adapted from the Visuals produced for an Environmental Statement. They are used in this context for illustrative purposes only and are not visible with correct field of view and viewing distances.