Endurance celebrates milestone
Endurance Wind Power announced it had installed its 500th wind turbine in the UK as a Government minister visited its new factory at Harlebury, near Kidderminster.
The Canadian business's site at Hartlebury Trading Estate will eventually make 100 turbines a year and employ 100.
Energy and climate change minister Greg Barker joined Endurance chief executive Glenn Johnson, local MP Sir Peter Luff, factory workers and more than 80 guests on a tour of the state-of- the-art production line to see first-hand how the 225-kilowatt X-Series turbines are assembled. The company installed its 500th UK turbine on an arable farm in Helperthorpe, near York, last month.
"Endurance's new turbine manufacturing base in Hartlebury is a great example of green growth here in the UK," said Mr Barker. "Not only will this new facility create around 100 jobs and boost the West Midlands economy, it will unleash new opportunities to export British-made technologies to Europe and beyond. This innovative kit will also help people take energy generation into their own hands. I wish Endurance every success with their endeavours." said Mr Barker.
Glenn Johnson added: "By investing in this manufacturing facility, we've shown our long term commitment to the UK, particularly the rural economy which has been going through tough times in recent years. With continued, stable Government backing we can empower more and more farmers up and down the country to become more resilient and resource efficient, insulating their businesses from the risk of energy price shocks."
Henry Robinson, president of the Country Land and Business Association, said: "Renewable energy has provided a great opportunity for CLA members to diversify in a difficult economic climate. CLA member Endurance Wind Power's investment in a new manufacturing facility demonstrates the wider benefits that support for renewable technology can deliver for the UK economy.
"We wish them well with their new Hartlebury facility which will no doubt provide a boost to the local economy and enable deployment of technology made in the UK."
Endurance's also makes 50-kilowatt turbines in Canada.
Its range of turbines is targeted predominantly at farmers to use singularly rather than wind farms. They are smaller than standard pylons and less than a third of the height of traditional utility scale turbines.
The X-Series turbine range from 30 to 40 metres in height and generate 450,000 to 850,000 kilowatt hours a year depending on wind speeds.
