Former coal collieries in England are about to have new life breathed in them. At Duckmanton near Chesterfield, the site of the former Markham Colliery will see a 500kw wind turbine- planning permission has already been granted. A second 500kw turbine is planned between Grimethorpe and Cudworth and will be called the Shafton turbine. Grimethorpe colliery was one of the deepest pits in Britain and, following similar mergers with ‘Houghton Main’ and ‘Dearne Valley’, employed 6,000 men at the time of its closure in May 1993.
The collieries were once the beating heart of the local community, and it is hoped that the two turbines will again bring benefits to the local people. A co-operative company called Four Winds Energy Co-op is seeking to raise £3.7 million to develop two co-operatively owned wind turbines on these former colliery sites.
Four Winds are looking for investors now for the Duckmanton site so the turbine can benefit from the 2013/2014 Feed in Tariff. Their offer is on a first come first served basis and the closing date is 31 July 2014, although it is likely that it will be oversubscribed and therefore be closed earlier than this.
The Duckmanton turbine has been ordered, grid connection agreed and a balance of plant contract will be signed this month. The second turbine, Shafton, will be operational next year. Four Winds are looking to attract small investors; the minimum investment is £250 (£100 if local to the site) and the maximum investment is £100,000. Four Winds anticipate a pre-tax relief return of approximately 8.5% annualised average over a 21 year investment period. They have applied to HMRC for Enterprise Investment Tax relief at 30%.
The Duckmanton turbine has been ordered, grid connection agreed and a balance of plant contract will be signed this month. The second turbine, Shafton is planned to be operational during 2015.
