26 Jul 2024
Thrive Renewables announces major overhaul at Ness Point wind turbine
Renewable energy investment company, Thrive Renewables, is undertaking a significant overhaul to secure the future of the Ness Point wind turbine in Lowestoft, named ‘Gulliver’ by local residents.
The nacelle and blades at the top of the tower will be refurbished and upgraded, with works due to start in late August 2024. This will allow the turbine to run reliably into the future, generating clean power for UK homes and businesses.
“When built in 2006, Ness Point was cutting edge technology – the largest wind turbine in the UK. Almost twenty years later, technology has moved on and when faults do appear they become more difficult to repair as the necessary parts and expertise are much harder to source. This is why local residents may have seen the turbine out of operation for extended periods of time, which we recognise has been frustrating. After exploring the options available to us, we have decided the time is right to make a significant investment in Gulliver’s long-term future with a full overhaul of the generator to enable it to operate reliably going forward.”
Works are expected to be completed by the end of October. As part of the refurbishment, Thrive Renewables has applied for planning permission to update the logos displayed at the top of the tower. The refurbishment will go ahead whether or not the new logos are permitted. The Ness Point wind turbine has a 2.75MW capacity, enough to power over 2,200 average UK homes per year.
Thrive Renewables runs a voluntary Community Benefit Programme with the Centre for Sustainable Energy, providing grants of up to £4,500 for energy efficiency improvements in community centres, village halls and other shared spaces, making them warmer and cheaper to run. Since the scheme started, three community buildings in the area have benefitted – Wrentham Village Hall, Community Action Suffolk’s Kirkley Centre and North East Suffolk CAB.
Round eight of the scheme is now open to applications and community buildings in Lowestoft and the surrounding area are encouraged to apply. More information can be found here.
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