11 SEPTEMBER 2014:
ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES OFFERED ELECTRICITY DISCOUNT BY JACK’S LANE WIND FARM
RES has today announced that more than 70 additional homes and businesses are to be offered discounts off their electricity bills through the Local Electricity Discount Scheme (LEDS) at Jacks Lane Wind Farm.
The number of properties eligible to benefit from the annual LEDS payments has increased to more than 400 following a review of the qualifying area and an update to the data used to launch the scheme at Jack’s Lane Wind Farm in March this year.
Sam Mayes, from RES’ Community Relations Team, explains:
“We have been delighted at the local community’s response to LEDS at Jack’s Lane, with almost 60% of eligible properties having already registered an interest in the scheme. This level of take up is especially encouraging as LEDS is a new initiative by RES to enable communities to have a stake in our wind farms, and was introduced after planning consent had been granted for Jack’s Lane Wind Farm.
“Continued interest in LEDS eligibility at our regular Community Liaison Group meetings prompted us to undertake further detailed investigations in preparation for making the first discount payments once the wind farm is operational. As a result, we have identified additional properties which are eligible to apply for LEDS and which have now been included in the scheme.
“While it was unfortunate that these properties didn’t receive our initial communications on LEDS, we are pleased that this has been rectified ahead of the application period and that we are able to offer even more properties the opportunity to receive this benefit. In order to be able to fulfill our commitment to the LEDS qualifying area at Jack’s Lane Wind Farm we have had to adjust the level of discount offered to all eligible properties from £117 to £100. However, even at this slightly reduced level, the discount will provide a real and tangible benefit to the properties closest to the wind farm for its entire operational lifetime of up to 25 years.”
RES has sent letters to the newly identified properties advising them of their eligibility and providing information on the annual discount off electricity bills, which is paid irrespective of energy supplier or tariff. Apart from the slight reduction in discount, there are no changes for existing properties which have already been invited to join the scheme.
RES is preparing to send all eligible properties detailed joining information in the next month including instructions on how to apply to receive the discount and a deadline to respond by in order to receive the first payment, which will be made in 2015.
When the Jack’s Lane Wind Farm reaches full operation early next year, it will kick-start a package of community benefits totalling £1,875,000 over its 25 year operational life time. In addition to RES’ Local Electricity Discount Scheme, an annual £30,000 Community Benefit Fund is will be made available for investment in local projects. The Norfolk Community Foundation will act as the independent Fund Administrator and will be looking to set up a Fund Panel of local people in the coming months to meet and make decisions on how the money is spent.
Construction progress keeps Jack’s Lane Wind Farm on track to become fully operational in March 2015. Turbine components are due to begin arriving on site at the end of September and a second newsletter updating the community on the construction works will be distributed in the next week.
To date, LEDS has been launched at 24 wind farms across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with around 8,000 properties eligible for a minimum annual discount of £100.