Could landfill sites provide the perfect home for wind farms?

For years developers have wondered how to make better use of landfill sites, but now a Spanish company may have come up with an answer that promises to redevelop existing landfill sites while bolstering the UK's renewable energy capacity.

Engineering firm Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC) this week announced plans to invest £100m through its subsidiaries FCC Energy (FCCE) and Waste Recycling Group (WRG) to install up to 80MW of wind energy capacity at its landfill sites in the UK.

WRG operates more than 100 landfill sites in England, Wales and Scotland, many of which are in relatively remote locations that are likely to prove ideal for the installation of wind turbines.

The company said it was currently undertaking a review of potentially suitable sites across its UK landholdings alongside FCCE, which includes "a rigorous assessment of all technical and environmental aspects to ensure the final selected sites are the most appropriate for wind energy developments".

It added that it expected the first planning applications to be submitted before the end of this year.

"As an environmentally responsible company, it is right we take the opportunity that our extensive landholding offers for the development of wind turbines, and which will contribute to efforts to increase the amount of renewable energy generated in the UK," said WRG chief executive Paul Taylor, adding that the firm would draw on FCE's experience as a major player in the renewable energy market.

Overall the company boasts 533MW of renewable energy capacity in the UK and Spain, through 14 Spanish wind farms, a number of solar power plants and several waste-to-energy facilities in the UK.