The Environment Agency is backing a new opportunity to create a zero carbon sustainable business park at the decommissioned tin mine at Wheal Jane, near Truro.
The green energy project moved a step closer after Cornwall Council granted planning consent for the erection of a monitoring mast to gather data for a proposed wind turbine on the Baldhu site.
“The monitoring mast is a temporary structure to gather data as part of the wind energy investigation on the site. Our work on the green energy plan as a whole is also progressing well,” said Bernard Ballard, Director of Marketing and Property at the Wheal Jane Group.
The ‘Wheal Jane Masterplan’, which aims to develop a sustainable earth science business cluster, incorporates a number of renewable energy schemes including a single wind turbine, two small-scale hydro-power schemes, ground source geothermal heating, a biomass power plant and a photovoltaic solar farm which generates electricity from sunlight.
The site could be self-sufficient in its energy demands and will be able to export any surplus power to the national grid. The development will also include a number of zero carbon workshops and office buildings.
A key aspect of the project is to capitalise on the site’s natural resources to generate its energy needs. The hydropower scheme, for example, will be powered by an existing waste water stream using the flow of water from the mine water treatment plant at Wheal Jane, which is operated by the Environment Agency.
“By supporting development of these renewable energy projects we are helping to limit and adapt to the effects of climate change, reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and help develop a low-carbon economy,” said Mark Pilcher, for the Environment Agency.
Operating the mine water de-pollution plant at Wheal Jane is energy intensive - often using seven large electric pumps running for 24 hours a day. By diverting the treated water discharge through a hydropower system, the lost energy can be recovered.
“This will create more green electricity to feed in to the national grid, reducing the amount of fossil fuel derived power which needs to be produced,” added Mark Pilcher.
There has already been a series of consultation exercises with the local stakeholders and community, including strategy workshops, public exhibitions and community drop-in sessions to discuss the project.
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