E.ON wins award for sustainable wind farm development

Energy company E.ON has 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 ceequal.com/awards.htm.