Wind farm questions

It makes excellent business sense. BT is one of Britain’s biggest energy users, with an annual requirement of around 0.7 per cent of the UK’s entire electricity consumption and spending around £150 million a year.

• BT is also making use of our existing land assets and technical know-how to deliver value for shareholders and benefits for customers.
• As our customers increase their reliance on broadband and videoconferencing to enable agile working and reduce travel patterns, it becomes more important for BT to secure our own supplies of renewable energy.
• We have also committed to tough carbon targets - achieving an 80 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2016. This project substantially improves our ability to achieve those targets.

• The cost of the project to deliver 250MW of wind generation capacity will be up to £250 million. We expect to partner with a third-party company, probably in the energy sector, and finance the entire cost externally - not on BT’s balance sheet.
• BT will be bringing to the table our land assets, planning permissions, substantive project expertise and a long-term commitment to purchase all the renewable energy produced by the wind farms.
• Given this, we are confident this project represents a very attractive proposition for third parties.

• We believe we have the commercial, technical and financial firepower to deliver this project, and we’re being advised by leading external experts in the business.
• We have assembled a project team of some of the best managers in BT, including a project director with direct experience of developing and running wind farms. And the project is supported and endorsed fully by the BT board.
• We are unveiling the project at a very early stage but this is because we are in the process of applying for permission to erect test masts. We want local communities to know what we are doing.

• We anticipate the Goonhilly development will form part of the overall visitor experience, which currently attracts more than 80,000 people a year.
• Wind farms can support local communities by creating jobs, attracting tourists and providing a low-carbon source of renewable energy - helping regions achieve their climate change targets.
• We are considering what additional benefits it can offer local people.

• BT plans to develop a joint venture with other investors, debt providers and development companies.
• Ultimately we aim to use all the energy from this joint venture but only retain minority ownership, thus providing an attractive opportunity for potential partners.