Green light given to Blues wind turbine in east Manchester.

Manchester City Council have now given us the go-ahead for an 85-metre high Ecotricity wind turbine at Sportcity in East Manchester.

Not only will Manchester be one of the first cities in the UK to have a wind turbine, but the City of Manchester Stadium will also be the first sports stadium in the world to have its own turbine and Manchester City Football Club will become the 'greenest' football club in the Premier League.

The wind turbine will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1,250 homes. Any home or business in Manchester will be able to buy environmentally-friendly power from Ecotricity at the same price as from their regional supplier.

Tom Russell, Chief Executive of New East Manchester Ltd said: "This is a very welcome development, not only for the obvious environmental reasons but because it will continue the long history of energy production in this part of East Manchester . The SportCity site was a former coal pit and gasometers are still located there. Historically east Manchester took the lead in taking Manchester into industrialisation, therefore it is fitting that the area is pioneering the provision of renewable energy across the city."

Pete Bradshaw, Social Responsibility Manager for Manchester City Football Club said: "The wind turbine provides an exciting opportunity to help the Club and the city achieve significant carbon emission reductions. The wind turbine is a significant part of a range of energy efficiencies and recycling projects that the Club is involved in though its award-winning community and social responsibility projects."

Dale Vince, MD of Ecotricity said: "Changing where we get our electricity from is the biggest step any individual or business can take to reduce their carbon emissions. At a time when climate change is dominating the headlines and the thoughts of the world's leaders, its great to be working with Manchester City Football Club, not just creating a hat trick of firsts for the city, but setting a perfect example of the responsibility that all business needs to take in the battle against climate change. The Club's new green electricity supply won't be costing any more than it's old supply - actually it will cost less."

SportCity's wind turbine will take two weeks to erect and is planned to be in place by the end of next year. It will be football's biggest fan.

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