APPENDIX
NPOWER RENEWABLES
AND RWE NPOWER
ASSETS AND
RELATED ACTIVITIES
Wind
37. npower renewables is a leading developer
and operator of onshore and offshore wind farms. We currently
operate 18 onshore wind farms and one offshore wind farm with
a total generating capacity of over 400MW; equivalent to over
17% of UK installed wind capacity. Built in 2003, our North Hoyle
project was the UK's first major offshore wind farm.
38. We have a strong portfolio of onshore
wind farms under construction and at various stages of development.
Offshore, we have started construction of our second offshore
wind farm, Rhyl Flats. In addition, we hold options to build two
further major offshore wind farms (each of approximately 1,000MW)
as part of the second round of offshore licenses that were granted.
The first of these, Gwynt y Mo®r, has been submitted into
the planning process and we are awaiting consent from the Department
for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).
Hydro
39. We also operate hydroelectric power
stations at 15 sites with a combined capacity of 59MW. We are
committed to continuing to develop small hydroelectric power schemes,
and have several schemes at various stages of development.
Marine renewables
40. We are currently investigating the potential
for a wave scheme to be located near Siadar, on the Isle of Lewis.
This is a joint project between npower renewables and Wavegen,
a wave power company based in Inverness. The scheme would involve
building a new breakwater similar to those used around the UK
coastline for the provision of harbour facilities (thus also providing
some protection for harbour facilities in the local community)
and could generate up to 3MW of electricity, enough to supply
around 1,500 homes.
Other renewable-related activities in the RWE
group
41. Within the wider RWE group there have
also been significant commitments in renewable and low carbons
sources of electricity. RWE npower owns and operates a large and
diverse portfolio of power generating plant in the UK with over
10,000MW of gas, coal and oil-fired power stations and cogeneration
plant. RWE npower co-fires biomass at a number of its conventional
power stations including Didcot, Tilbury and Aberthaw and has
been a major contributor to co-firing under the RO. RWE npower
has also committed significant investment into the R&D of
low carbon technologies, notably clean coal technology.
42. RWE npower's retail arm, npower, is
a leading supplier of electricity and gas in the UK, serving the
residential, small to medium enterprises and industrial and commercial
sectors. npower promotes a range of microgeneration technologies
to residential customers, providing advice on micro wind devices,
ground source heat pumps and photovoltaics. npower also supports
R&D into renewable technologies through its renewable electricity
tariff, Juice, and our Juice fund.[251]
To date, this fund has supported two major projects namely, the
Regen South Wave project and The Path to Power report, in conjunction
with the BWEA, in addition to a number of smaller projects. Juice
is part of RWE npower's retail business and will not be part of
the new company RWE Innogy.
251 Juice is npower's domestic 100% renewable electricity
tariff, which is offered to customers at no extra cost compared
to their standard electricity. npower makes an annual contribution
to the Juice fund of £10 for every customer that stays with
Juice. In 2006, npower's contribution was over £500,000 and
the fund is expected to grow to £1 million within the next
three years. Back
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