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North Steads Wind Farm

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Coordinates: 55°15′58″N 1°37′05″W / 55.266°N 1.618°W / 55.266; -1.618
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North Steads Wind Farm
North Steads Wind Farm from Druridge Bay
Map
CountryEngland
LocationWiddrington, Northumberland
Coordinates55°15′58″N 1°37′05″W / 55.266°N 1.618°W / 55.266; -1.618
StatusOperational
Construction beganAugust 2015
Commission date29 June 2016
OwnerVentient Energy
Wind farm
TypeOnshore
Site usageForestry, farmland
Hub height260 feet (80 m)
Rotor diameter302 feet (92 m)
Site elevation98 feet (30 m)
Power generation
Units operational9 x 2.05 mw
Make and modelSenvion MM92
Nameplate capacity18.45 megawatts
External links
WebsiteOfficial website
[edit on Wikidata]

North Steads Wind Farm is an onshore electricity generating site west of Widdrington in Northumberland, England. The site was developed on old coal opencast workings and has nine turbines delivering over 18 megawatts of power per year.

History

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Consent for the wind farm was granted in 2012,[1] though construction of the site did not start until August 2015, one month after Infinis (later renamed as Ventient Energy) acquired the site from Peel Energy.[2][3] The original planning permission sought was for 13 units, but this was reduced to nine operational units at North Steads, as four already existed at another site nearby called Sisters Wind Farm.[note 1][5] The site was commissioned in June 2016,[6] with the name North Steads Wind Farm, after the local community campaigned for the name to be changed from Blue Sky Forest, which Peel Energy developed the site as.[5] North Steads was developed on the former coal opencasting site of Maiden Hall and Steadsburn,[7] half of which had ceased coaling operations in 2006,[8] though the 170-acre (69-hectare) Steadsburn site was still blasting rock in 2009.[4]

The site consists of nine turbines, each with a rating of just over 2 megawatts, and at a height of 260 feet (80 m). The length of each blade is 148 feet (45 m) with an overall diameter of 302 feet (92 m). [note 2] The output of the site is rated as 18.45 megawatts, which is enough to power over 11,700 homes annually.[10]

Six of the turbines are surrounded by woodland (North Steads Plantation), and the three southernmost, are on arable land. The site averages about 98 feet (30 m) above sea level, and is bounded to the east by Steads Burn.[10][11]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The former opencast coalmining venture on the site was known as Sisters, from where the name came for the wind farm.[4]
  2. ^ This equates to the total height of the turbine blades reaching 410 feet (125 m).[9]

References

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  1. ^ Willoughby, James (24 July 2015). "Construction set to start on windfarms". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  2. ^ "North Steads Wind Farm". electricityproduction.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  3. ^ "North Steads (United-Kingdom) - Wind farms - Online access - The Wind Power". www.thewindpower.net. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b Robson, Vicky (23 March 2009). "Wildlife scare after blast at UK Coal site". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Work to start on windfarm schemes for 13 turbines". infoweb.newsbank.com. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  6. ^ "OFGEM : renewable Energy Project Installation Data". www.renewables-map.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  7. ^ Daniel, Brian (19 July 2015). "Northumberland wind farm company snaps up neighbouring site near Morpeth". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Savills Portfoilio - Land at Stobswood" (PDF). groundsure.com. p. 1. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Northumberland Local Plan Technical document: Suitable areas for wind turbine development in Northumberland" (PDF). northumberland.gov.uk. March 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b "North Steads". ventientenergy.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  11. ^ "325" (Map). Morpeth & Blyth. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 978-0-319-24577-4.
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