Essential work to keep a Cumbrian wind farm’s turbines turning has been completed.

Operator Banks Renewables and contractor Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy have been carrying out major component replacement work at the Armistead wind farm, which sits to the east of the M6 between junctions 36 and 37, near Kendal, to ensure that it continues to operate at maximum efficiency.

Two large cranes were brought to the site to complete the programme of work, which included removing the blades, hubs and drive trains on Armistead turbine numbers one and six before replacing the bearings on each one and reassembling both structures.

The six-turbine Armistead wind farm generated more than 25,000 MWh of green electricity during Banks Renewables’ last financial year, which is enough to meet the annual energy requirements of over 8,000 homes, and by doing so, it displaced over 5,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the
electricity supply network.

The Westmorland Gazette:

Operational since 2013, it also generates almost £14,000 every year for the Armistead Wind Farm Benefits Fund, which supports community and environmental  projects put forward by local voluntary groups and charities.

Previous grant recipients include Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC, Preston Patrick Memorial Hall, New Hutton Institute, Mansergh Parish Meeting and St John the Baptist Church in Old Hutton.

A committee made up of community representatives meets regularly to assess grant applications to help ensure grants are awarded in ways which meet local priorities.

Dan Thomas, operations and grid director at Banks Renewables, said: “The Armistead wind farm is coming up to its tenth anniversary and is continuing to generate significant amounts of clean green electricity supporting our contribution to the UK’s crucial journey towards its NetZero targets.

“Using the widest possible range of renewable energy generation technologies will allow the UK to achieve these climate change targets and decarbonise its power supply much more quickly, and the work we’ve been carrying out at Armistead will help ensure that it can continue to operate with maximum efficiency for many years to come.

“Alongside these environmental and energy security benefits, Armistead also makes a direct and growing contribution to the long-term well-being of surrounding communities through its benefits fund, and we’re keen to see even more local groups putting their ideas forward for how this
money might best be used.”

Anyone interested in applying for funding from the Armistead Wind Farm Benefits Fund should first contact the fund manager for The Banks Community Fund via on 0191 378 6342 or via fundmanager@bankscommunityfund.org.uk before applying for a grant to check if their group or project is eligible.