Testing to commence at £17.5m Moor House wind farm following completion of construction phase

A new £17.5m wind farm near Darlington is set to commence pre-commissioning testing following the installation of the scheme’s last turbine.

Over the last two months, Banks Renewables has been working to erect six turbines which comprise its new Moor House wind farm.

The wind farm is situated on land to the north east of Barmpton, around three miles to the east of the A1.

As the scheme’s construction phase has been completed, the turbines will be energised with commissioning work scheduled to be carried out through the remaining weeks of the year.

The £750k community benefits fund linked to what will be the ninth onshore wind farm that County Durham-headquartered Banks Renewables has built has already been launched.

Annual allowance of £15k will be available in support of community groups, environmental projects and voluntary organisations, while the same amount again will be available every year to support activities related to employment and training opportunities.

In addition, a one-off allocation of £50k will be ring-fenced to support energy efficiency and micro-renewables projects for community buildings within the area surrounding the wind farm.

A funding committee made up of community representatives has been set up, with Cllr Brian Jones of Darlington Borough Council being appointed as committee chair.

Lewis Stokes, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: “The construction team has done a great job in often challenging conditions to ensure that the Moor House turbines were put in place on schedule, and we’re very pleased to have reached this latest landmark.

“Onshore wind is recognised as being the most effective technology in delivering carbon reduction targets for the UK at the lowest cost for the consumer, and has a key role to play in generating more of the energy that we all use in powering our homes, businesses, schools and hospitals via renewable means.

“The money available from the Moor House fund will make a big difference to the facilities and activities that local people are able to access for years to come, and we’re keen to hear from local groups and good causes now on how they think it might best be used, so we can move quickly when the wind farm starts to generate revenues for the fund.

“Banks Renewables has become one of the UK’s leading owner-operators in the onshore wind sector, and as a County Durham business, we’re proud to be making further use of what is one of the best available wind resources in the whole of Europe through the third wind farm we’ve built in our home region.”