Toyota investigates Welsh wind turbines

It looks like anything Nissan can do, Toyota can do also. Just days after Nissan announced it is to deploy two more wind turbines at its plant in Sunderland, taking the number of turbines at the site to eight, Toyota has confirmed it is investigating a similar move at its engine factory in Wales.

The car manufacturer said it has submitted a planning application to Flintshire County Council for a 60-metre wind monitoring mast at its Deeside Industrial Park facility to determine whether or not to deploy wind turbines at the site.

"When you visit the site and see the wind blowing the trees at right angles you’d think it was a good site for turbines," said Toyota spokesman Steve Carter. "But we've spoken with experts and they say you need to collect a full year of data and account for seasonal variations and wind direction before making a decision."

Carter added that the company would collect data on wind speed and direction at different heights and then make a decision on deploying turbines.

Wind turbines are becoming something of a trend at car manufacturing sites in the UK, with Nissan generating five per cent of the power it needs for its Sunderland site from its turbines and Ford operating two turbines at its factory in Dagenham.