Monday, 4 December 2006

RESIDENTS COULD CO-OWN LOCAL WIND FARM

A public meeting is to be held in Todmorden next week to tell residents of the town how they could own a share of a local wind farm. Microgeneration Yorkshire and the Hebden Bridge Alternative Technology Centre have been in discussion with wind farm developer Coronation Power about how they could develop their project proposal to make the most of any benefit to the community. Coronation Power has indicated that they are prepared for one of the five turbines proposed for the Todmorden Moor site to be made available for the community to purchase.

Co-ownership of wind farms is established practice in countries such as Denmark and Sweden where the social and economic benefits of this model are strongly evidenced. Indeed, in Denmark over 60% of all wind turbines are community owned. In the UK co-ownership is not a common feature of wind farm developments and Todmorden would be joining only a handful of communities in the UK who have been offered this opportunity.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for members of the Todmorden community to invest in their own future," Barnaby Fryer, project manager of Microgeneration Yorkshire, told the Hebden Bridge Web. "We are constantly being told that we need to act now to address climate change, and this proposal will enable people to do just that, whilst also getting an attractive financial return on their investment. This project can only go ahead, however, if the community wants it to, so I would urge everybody who has an interest in this proposal to come along to the meeting and make your voice heard."

The meeting will take place from 7-9pm at Todmorden Town Hall on Wednesday 13th December. There will be information on how the proposal would work, and what the community needs to do to make it happen. Representatives from Coronation Power will also be available to answer questions.

Anybody unable to attend but wanting information should contact Barnaby Fryer or Nicola Pugh at Microgeneration Yorkshire on 01422 846648 or at info@yren.org.uk

Alternative Technology Centre

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