07 May 2010 15:55
E.ON scoops top award for sustainable wind farm development

Energy company E.ON has today (FRI) revealed one of its wind farm projects had become the first in the UK to receive an award through the Civil Engineering and Environmental Quality Assessment and Award Scheme (CEEQUAL) for its sustainability.

The company's proposed seven-turbine wind farm at Winwick in Northamptonshire is the first renewable energy project to be assessed under CEEQUAL, a scheme supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers which promotes environmental and sustainability excellence in civil engineering. The E.ON project was assessed as a Client & Design Award for which it received a CEEQUAL ‘Very Good'.

Daniel Badcock, E.ON Project Developer, said: "We're really proud of how we develop our wind farms in a responsible and sustainable manner, and achieving this CEEQUAL award reinforces our commitment to developing renewable energy in the most sustainable way possible.

"We're already accredited to ISO 14001 standards for our environmental management systems, so this award further confirms our environmental credentials."

CEEQUAL Chairman Eric Hughes said: "This is the first wind farm project to carry out a CEEQUAL assessment and I'm delighted that E.ON's proposed wind farm at Winwick has achieved a ‘Very Good' Client & Design Award. It reflects the extra care taken in the design of this project to minimise its environmental impact.

"This award also illustrates how CEEQUAL can be applied to the design and construction of any civil engineering project, and we hope to receive many more applications from renewables projects in the future."

Emma Clark, Senior Consultant at engineering consultancy AECOM who carried out the CEEQUAL assessment, said: "This award demonstrates E.ON's commitment to go the ‘extra mile'. When completing the assessment it was good to see that E.ON could be rewarded for the sustainability elements which they already incorporate into the pre-planning design phases."

Environmental consultancy Entec carried out the Environmental Impact Assessment for the project. Emma Marsden from Entec said: "CEEQUAL has provided an avenue by which we were able to demonstrate how a number of environmental enhancements have been incorporated into the project.  The award demonstrates the project team's commitment to the environment and desire to go beyond the statutory and regulatory minimum."

Dr Kate Vincent, Senior Ecologist at BSG who advised on the habitat improvement plan for Winwick wind farm, said: "I've developed a good working relationship with E.ON and I've been impressed with the company's commitment to put ecology at the forefront of all project development work.

"We've worked closely with E.ON to ensure we could deliver the very best in habitat management to meet the highest standards possible."

More information about the project can be found at www.ceequal.com/awards.htm.

 

Ends

 

Notes to editors:

• E.ON is one of the UK's leading power and gas companies - generating and distributing electricity, and retailing power and gas - and is part of the E.ON group, one of the world's largest investor-owned power and gas companies. We employ around 16,000 people in the UK and more than 88,000 worldwide;
• We're one of the leading green generators in the UK, with 21 wind farms located from Cornwall to Kintyre. We own and operate one of the UK's largest dedicated biomass power stations at Lockerbie. Combined, our renewable portfolio generates enough green energy to power the homes in a city the size of Manchester;
• Our green development portfolio could power over a million homes and displace the emission of almost two million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by building new onshore and offshore wind farms, biomass power stations, and tidal stream and wave power schemes;
• Our target is to cut the carbon released by each kW of electricity we generate by 10% between 2005-2012, having already reduced it by 20% since 1990;
• We have 1,500MW of renewable capacity under development;
• We have Biodiversity Action Plans at many of our sites which align us with the UK target of significantly reducing biodiversity loss;
• E.ON Group has announced it intends to reduced the carbon intensity of its generation by 50% by 2030 (on 1990 levels);
• E.ON Group aims to spend €8bn between 2007 and 2011 on renewable generation and climate protection activities.

 

• CEEQUAL (The Civil Engineering and Environmental Quality Assessment and Award Scheme) is the assessment and awards scheme for improving sustainability in civil engineering and public realm projects. Its objective is to encourage the attainment of environmental excellence in civil engineering, and thus to deliver improved environmental and social performance in project specification, design and construction.
• CEEQUAL awards the achievement of high environmental and social performance in civil engineering and public realm projects. Awards are made to projects in which the clients, designers and contractors go beyond the legal and environmental minima to achieve distinctive standards of performance.

 

For more information contact:

Alisha Allen on 02476 192 063

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