Tesco Powers Ahead with TNEI  

TNEI is managing what is believed to be the country's largest urban wind programme on behalf of supermarket giant, Tesco. 

The programme aims to install wind turbines at all viable supermarket and depots sites across the UK. The first phase of the programme for TNEI was to assess the feasibility of each of Tesco’s sites for its own wind turbine and then manage the planning application and installation of turbines on sites deemed suitable for their own on-site energy generation.

The scope of the whole project is enormous and spans Tesco’s network of over 2,000 supermarkets and depots in the UK.  Since the project’s launch in 2006, all sites have now been assessed and the complex installation process has begun. 

Prior to the main roll-out this year two small, 20 kW turbines have already been successfully installed at the Hindpool Lane Tesco store in Barrow, one at the company’s store in Crewe and two at its headquarters in Welwyn Garden City, along with one micro-turbine at an urban supermarket site in the North East of England.

These turbines are now up and running and are contributing to the energy supply to these sites.  The programme roll out is gaining momentum with around 20 further sites receiving planning consent and a raft of new applications submitted and awaiting consent. 

Projects range from single small 6kW machines up to multi-megawatt installations incorporating several large machines up to 3MW.  A large scale tendering exercise is underway to source suitable wind turbines within the required time frames.

Of the 2,000 plus sites, 200 will be developed with machines ranging from 6kW to 3MW.  With the programme well underway in the UK, TNEI has now been commissioned to evaluate Tesco’s East European site portfolio.