29 September 2008 11:25
TV drama debut brings green donation for Keighley school

Oxenhope CE primary school in Keighley is £1,500 closer to its target to become an eco school thanks to the owners of Ovenden Moor wind farm, E.ON and EPRL.

Following the filming of an episode of the BBC3 drama Spooks: Code 9 at Ovenden, the team responsible for the wind farm decided to donate the location fee to the school.

Richard Couzens, Regional Asset Manager for E.ON, said: "Oxenhope was the obvious choice for the donation. They're currently participating in the Eco Schools programme and are looking to develop a sustainable energy source of their own so the money could not be better placed."

The school intends to add the donation to its environmental fund, helping to develop the school's environmental area through the planting of native plants and trees as well as the potential for a wind turbine or solar panels in the future.

Sue Attwood, a Year 6 teacher at the school, said: "We're delighted to receive the cheque from the Ovenden Moor Windfarm, particularly after our visit to the site earlier this year.  It's very encouraging that the children are so excited about environmental issues and that is thanks in part to our link with the wind farm."

The school is currently working toward a bronze award under the Eco School programme, encouraging children to take an active role in becoming more environmentally responsible both at school and at home.

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Ovenden Moor wind farm is a 50/50 Joint Venture between E.ON and EPRL;
• Ovenden Moor wind farm was commissioned in 1993 and features 23 turbines, producing enough power to serve approximately 6,400 homes.
• 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, the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company. We employ around 17,000 people in the UK;
• We're one of the leading green generators in the UK, with 21 wind farms located from Cornwall to Northern Ireland. We also burn biomass material mixed with coal in two of our power stations and have recently completed 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 1,300MW of renewable capacity under development;
• Our non-operational carbon intensity dropped by 16.7% per employee in 2006;
• We are investing £50 million in new technologies and approaches over the next 5 years, through the Energy Technologies institute;
• 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 €6bn on green generation by the end of 2010.

For more information contact:

Rebecca Mara on 02476 183 679