Octopus Energy brings clean power and community spirit to Skate Manchester with festive wind turbine

• Octopus Energy announced as official partner of Skate Manchester and The Queen’s House Ice Rink in Greenwich
• Partnership to also power community programme at both locations
• 2 for 1 skate sessions at both rinks for Octopus reward scheme customers

October 13th, London - Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest energy supplier, is bringing clean, green energy to Manchester’s winter festivities by installing its innovative portable wind turbine, at Skate Manchester. The first-of-its-kind partnership will see the 15-metre tall, 15kW turbine partially powering the rink. Octopus will also power the community initiatives at both Skate Manchester and The Queen’s House ice rink in Greenwich, London as well as providing exclusive offers at both rinks for Octopus Energy customers.

Rather than the traditional Christmas tree, Mancunians and those visiting the city can enjoy all the greatness Skate Manchester has had to offer in recent years, with the added delight of being able to spin, glide and skate around a 15-metre festive themed wind turbine.

Octopus has two mobile wind turbines, designed to demonstrate the speed and simplicity of onshore wind installation. With sustainability at the heart of Skate Manchester, the turbine now makes its debut in Manchester to celebrate the city's growing role in the UK’s energy transition.

Octopus and Skate will be running an online customer competition to name the festive turbine, with the most creative entry winning ten VIP tickets for Skate Manchester.

The community programme, powered by Octopus, will see both rinks support over 100 community partners, giving over 5,000 people the opportunity to skate for free or at a heavily discounted rate. As part of the partnership, Octopus Energy customers can also take advantage of a 2 for 1 skating offer as part of its customer reward scheme, Octoplus.

Octopus will also be inviting local recipients of its grassroots football initiative, ‘Octopus Kits for Kids’, for free skating sessions at the rinks in Manchester and Greenwich. Launched in 2024, the programme has already distributed over 27,000 free football kits to youth teams across the UK, with another 27,000 planned for 2025.

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Octopus Energy, commented: “Our festive turbine is swapping sleigh bells for spinning blades this Christmas, and we couldn’t be more excited. Onshore wind is one of the UK’s cheapest, greenest power sources, and what better way to show it off than by helping light up the ice at Skate Manchester. We can pop up a mobile turbine in just a day, proving renewable energy is quick, fun and brings real benefits to local communities.”

Rob Derry, Director at Tamarisk Events, who coordinates the events in Manchester and Greenwich said: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do for our events, so partnering with Octopus Energy, the UK’s leading clean energy provider, is a huge privilege. For 2025, Octopus is focusing on our Manchester site by incorporating a wind turbine into the event's energy plan. Ice rinks are, by nature, high-energy consuming attractions, but by using a combination of wind power, batteries, and grid energy, we aim to set a new benchmark for sustainable events at both rink locations.

Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport / at Manchester City Council, said: "Manchester is proud to be leading the way in creating greener, more sustainable events. The partnership between Octopus Energy and Skate Manchester is a brilliant example of how innovation and sustainability can come together to create something truly special. By incorporating a clean energy solution like wind power into our festive celebrations, we’re not only reducing environmental impact but also sharing our vision of what a greener future might look like. It’s another step towards our goal of becoming a zero-carbon city."

Cllr Pat Karney, Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council said:

"We all know that what Manchester does today the world does tomorrow and using a wind turbine to help provide power to our fabulous seasonal skating rink is genius.  Whilst we do love a white Christmas here in Manchester, we're actually going all out this year to make Christmas in our city as green as we possibly can, with a Santa's eye to the future to help protect and preserve our Christmases for years to come.  Ice-skating has to be one of my favourite things to do - I absolutely love it - but skating round a festive wind turbine is definitely going to be a first and I just can't wait!"

We’re also delighted to have Octopus Energy powering our community engagement programme. We’re inviting over 100 community groups to skate, perform, and experience the magic of these festive rinks. If you’d like to be involved, we’d love to hear from you!"

Octopus is also well-known for its trailblazing ‘Fan Club’ tariff, a world-first energy plan that gives customers living near wind turbines up to 50% off their electricity when the wind blows. Since launching, it has drawn over 40,000 requests from communities eager to host a local wind turbine, especially in the North West, North East, Yorkshire & Humberside, and the Midlands.

With over 7.7 million customers and a team of 500+ staff in Manchester and 1,000 in London, Octopus Energy continues to lead the way in renewable innovation. The company has been named Which? Best Energy Supplier for a record-breaking eight consecutive years and is committed to making clean energy both accessible and engaging.

Early bird tickets for Skate Manchester and The Queen’s House ice rink are available now, with discounted family tickets and student night tickets also available.

For more information and to book tickets, visit https://skatemanchester.com/ or https://thequeenshouseicerink.com.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

For high-res imagery and further info please contact skatemanchester@carouselpr.com

Press Contacts

Octopus Energy Group

press@octoenergy.com

+44 (0)20 4530 8369

ABOUT OCTOPUS ENERGY

Octopus Energy is a global clean energy and technology business, driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Under its own retail brand, Octopus delivers world-class customer service and cutting-edge energy products to almost 10 million households globally.

The company is driving the electrification of heat and transport through smart tariffs and innovative clean tech, with operations spanning 27 countries and the entire energy value chain. It operates a £7 billion renewables portfolio as well as thriving EV leasing, heat pump, and solar businesses.

Backed by pension funds, investors and energy giants, Octopus Energy Group businesses deliver cheaper, greener energy and cutting-edge tech to countries and customers worldwide.

For more information, check out our website.

ABOUT THE QUEEN’S HOUSE

The 17th century Queen’s House, designed by Inigo Jones, was the first Classical building in England – it is known for its perfectly proportioned Great Hall, original marble floor and beautiful Tulip staircase. Part of Royal Museums Greenwich the Queen’s House has Scheduled Monument status as it is a building of unique architectural importance and forms an important part of the UNESCO Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Visitors to the Queen’s House can see highlights from the National Maritime Museum’s fine art collection, including: famous portraits of Elizabeth I and James Duke of York; and exquisite examples of the work of the van de Veldes.

The Queen’s House is part of Royal Museums Greenwich which also incorporates the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory Greenwich and the famous clipper ship Cutty Sark. This unique collection of museums and heritage buildings form a key part of the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also a major centre of education and research. The mission of Royal Museums Greenwich is to enrich people’s understanding of the sea, the exploration of space, and Britain's role in world history. For more information, visit www.rmg.co.uk