The nation’s leading potato supplier will be greener thanks to power from a new wind turbine.`

Fen-based Greenvale, the UK’s leading supplier of fresh potatoes, and renewable energy company, Triodos Renewables Plc, announced the completion of a deal to build a wind turbine.

The project, developed by UK on-site generation specialist, Wind Direct, will be built on Greenvale’s Floods Ferry site near March and will have an estimated total capacity of 1.5 MW.

Building work on the 110m turbine will start at the end of April with completion due by the end of 2014.

Once commissioned, the turbine will be capable of generating up to 60 per cent of the electricity needed to power Greenvale’s potato packing facility and reduce the company’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Trevor Dear, operations director of Greenvale, said: “The wind turbine will secure a reliable energy supply for our packing site, generate jobs within the region and reduce our impact on the environment. This is a key part of our environmental policy which aims to reduce our CO2 output by 20 per cent by 2015.”

Over the last five years, Wind Direct has worked in partnership with Greenvale to develop a planning application and successfully gain consent for the project with Fenland District Council.

Wind Direct then negotiated a turbine supply contract with leading Spanish turbine manufacturer, Acciona as well as sourced and structured the project finance facilities for the project.

Matthew Clayton, managing director of Triodos Renewables said: “The sustainable ethos of Greenvale has made our collaboration on this project a very positive experience.”

Wind Direct’s head of sales and commercial, Guy Lavarack added: “We strive to support the green credentials of local businesses while delivering the benefit of substantial savings on their electricity bill and guaranteed prices for up to 10 years, thereby providing companies with security of supply and cost stability in a volatile market.”