Member Article

Stockton wind farm reaches official completion

The new Lambs Hill Wind Farm, found in Stillington near Stockton on Tees, is up and running following successful construction and subsequent testing.

Cheetham Hill Construction, the site’s main contractor, has signed off on its work for County Durham-based developer Banks Renewables, leaving four certified wind turbines erected with the power to harness green energy.

The milestone also means that funding is now officially available from the community fund linked to the wind farm, from which local community groups, environmental projects and voluntary organisations in the areas are being invited to apply for grants.

Contracts worth well over £1m have been awarded to more than two dozen North East sub-contractors as part of the creation of the Lambs Hill Wind Farm, which has an installed capacity of up to 10MW.

Banks Renewables will now provide £10,000 every year of community funding from the fund linked to the new wind farm, which sits to the north west of Stockton, or around £250,000 over the scheme’s 25-year lifespan.

A funding committee comprised of local people and supported by a dedicated fund manager from the Banks Community Fund team has already been set up, and will sit every few months to assess the applications it receives.

Funding committee chair Sue Bell, who sits on Great Stainton Parish Council, said: “As a committee, we are looking forward to ensuring that the annual donation of monies from Banks Renewables is used to benefit a wide range of projects within our local community, and it is our intention that all projects will directly benefit people living in the immediate surrounding area.”

Banks Renewables will hold an official opening event for the wind farm later in the year.

Lewis Stokes, community relations manager at the Banks Group, added: “Modern, efficient, indigenous onshore wind farms such as Lambs Hill generate safe, clean and sustainable energy, as well as offering the cheapest available form of renewable energy generation, and we’re pleased to add Lambs Hill to our portfolio of operational onshore wind farms around the UK.”

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