Sixpenny Wood wind farm is a wind power project located 2.5km east of Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire, UK. The project is being developed by AES Wind Generation, a subsidiary of AES Corporation.
The wind farm is expected to provide enough electricity to power around 11,500 households on average, when it starts its operations in February 2013.
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Original proposal by Your Energy and council approval issues
The Sixpenny Wood project was originally conceived by Your Energy. The site proposed for the wind farm’s construction was rejected by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council in October 2008.
After considering an appeal from the developer, the council approved the site in December 2009. Your Energy was acquired by the AES Corporation in April 2010 and was renamed as AES Wind Generation in April 2012.
The 20.5MW wind farm will require £30m ($46.3m) to be completed. AES Wind Generation secured funding through a long term loan of £20m ($30.9m) from NIBC Bank and AES Equity of £10m ($15.4m). The electricity generated by the wind farm will be sold to Statkraft.
Construction process for the East Riding of Yorkshire-based project
Construction on the Sixpenny Wood project began in February 2012. A site compound was created during the construction phase, in March 2012. The approach tracks were laid to allow access to each turbine.
In May 2012, work began on turbine foundations and a new entrance to the site for allowing transportation of large components via the B1230 road. The works include removal of vegetation and the laying of tarmac at the site. Excavation works began on the turbine foundations at three locations during the same month.
The location will be readied for the turbine deliveries and civil works between February and October 2012. A total of ten turbines will be installed at a hub height of 125m. Installation of the wind turbines will commence in October 2012 and will be completed within one month. The wind farm is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. The commissioning and testing of turbines will be concluded by January 2013.
A traffic management plan has been agreed with East Riding of Yorkshire Council to minimise disruptions to traffic flow during the transportation of the turbines.
MM92 wind turbines to be integrated with the existing power grid
The MM92 wind turbines installed at Sixpenny Wood will have a rated output of 2.05MW each. The MM92 series from Repower is a second generation wind turbine.
The wind turbines are designed to be fully integrated with existing power grid. The turbine is ideal for regions with medium or weak winds. The monitoring system and modular wind farm management system ensures effective operations of the wind farm.
The MM92 turbine has a rotor diameter of 92.5m and swept rotor area of 6,720 square metres. The rotor can rotate at speeds ranging from 7.8rpm to 15rpm.
The rotor blade is of GRP sandwich construction with a length of 45.2m. The turbines can be installed at various hub heights ranging from between 68.5m and 100m.
Contracts awarded for the Sixpenny Wood wind farm power project
In December 2011, Repower and AES Wind Generation signed a contract for the supply of wind turbines for the Sixpenny Wood wind farm. The Balance of Plant contract was awarded to Jones Bros in January 2012.
The contract will cover all civil works and on-site electrical installation. Natural Power was appointed as the site engineer to provide construction design and management services for the wind farm project. Natural Power will also monitor on-site progress of construction and ensure the work schedule as per the planning.
UK renewable wind power market details and expected growth
The United Kingdom is the eighth largest generator of wind power in the world. The total installed capacity of wind farms in UK was more than 5.9GW by early 2012. The UK’s wind sector is expected to record a steady growth in future.
A projected capacity of 2GW a year will be added to the existing capacity during the next five years. The annual growth of UK wind farms is expected to double between 2015 and 2016.
