Public meeting called as Bigbury Turbine plan gets closer to application
Those behind the plans say they want to show the community is behind the turbine - and answer any questions
Climate change campaigners say they hope to formally submit a planning application for the 'Bigbury Turbine' this Autumn, as a public meeting is called to talk residents through the plans.
The Devon Energy Collective Community Interest Company say the single one-megawatt turbine could power 700 homes - with all profits given back to the community across Bigbury, Ringmore and Averton Gifford.
The plans - which already include a connection agreement to the grid - were first proposed by Octopus Energy in 2023, before it withdrew the plans last September over concerns over the size of any likely commercial return.
The turbine will likely cost £2 million and the CIC's initial feasibility work is being supported with a £95,000 grant from the Labour Government's Great British Energy's South West Net Zero Energy Hub - following a de facto ban on onshore wind under the previous Conservative Government.
It is hoped the Bigbury Turbine could be up and running within three years, taking up a footprint of 13 metres circumference on the ground.
The proposed EWT DW61-type is currently the smallest commercial turbine available, with a hub height of around 60 metres and tip height of around 90 metres. The nearby Kingsbridge relay transmitter tower at West Alvington is 52.5 metres tall.
The area in Bigbury is currently unable to access mains gas, with residents paying inflated prices for heating oil as a result of the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Those living nearby would still purchase electricity via a supplier from the National Grid with the exact financial return for the community still to be calculated - but is expected to be thousands of pounds each year at least.
Campaigners are also inviting residents to see a similar project at Otterham, near Bude, on Saturday September 12 to help visualise the project,
A spokesperson for Octopus Energy told Greatest Hits Radio that the project 'unfortunately wasn’t viable for us' but added "The work we carried out on the site, such as planning reports and studies, remains valuable. We therefore gifted all of this information to Bigbury Net Zero, so it could support any future clean energy development in the area."
The spokesperson added: "It’s great to see that a clean energy project is coming to fruition there with the community, and we’re pleased our work may have helped contribute to that outcome.
"Octopus Energy has been developing a number of renewables projects, including the wind turbine in Bigbury, to be listed on our Octopus Energy Collective investment platform and while there were many great aspects to the Bigbury site, unfortunately we couldn’t make it work within the framework of this investment platform."
Campaigners hope to submit a planning application by October 31st and have called a public meeting at Bigbury Memorial Hall at 7pm on Wednesday June 17th.
Als Parker, from Devon Energy Collective, said: "This just happens to be in an area where there is a small amount of availability to the grid because there are no other generators in this area.
“It's hard to find a site because you need to be a long way from a house. Typically a turbine of this size needs to be 500 or 600 metres from a house so that there is no noise impact on anyone living nearby.
"We're really excited about it. We want to see more renewable energy generation all over Devon benefitting people living locally and this is just one, it's the most advanced of our projects.
“We want to see projects like this in other parishes where there is a grid connection and where we can get generation on site. In some areas it will be water generation and in some areas it will be solar and in this area, which is really windy, wind is the right technology for here."
County Councillor Louise Wainwright, chair of Bigbury Net Zero campaign group, said: "This project is likely to be a blueprint for communities throughout the country. It is actually a flagship project because of the unique nature of its connection.
"It's not a windfarm. It's one mega-watt relevant-sized wind turbine, which can actually help local families reduce their carbon footprint."
There's more details about the project here
There's more about the meeting on June 17 here