Environmental threat of offshore wind turbines
Jamie Smyth’s report on the Princess Amelia windfarm off the coast of the Netherlands provides some useful pointers for the Irish Government (European Diary, October 7th).
This 120MW windfarm consists of 60 turbines, 90 metres (295 feet) high. According to Mr Smyth, it has been located 23km offshore “to minimise the impact on people living in coastal communities”. The fact that much of the coastal zone in Netherlands is designated for wildlife protection doubtless also influenced this location.
Contrast this with the situation in Ireland. Here, more than 500 giant offshore turbines, 120 metres (524 feet) high, are proposed five to 12km off the scenic east coast. These wind farms will produce 3,000MW, three times the total amount of offshore wind power currently installed worldwide. They will be constructed on wildlife-rich shallow sandbanks all down the coastline.
They will dominate coastal scenery in Dundalk Bay, Dublin Bay, Killiney Bay, Wicklow Bay and on down to Wexford, industrialising the seascape and significantly altering all the coastal views listed for protection in local county development plans.
Offshore turbine technology is quickly advancing to the stage where the giant 5MW turbines proposed so close to the Irish shore can be placed in deeper water far out to sea. In fact, these huge turbines have been designed specifically for such locations. The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium are proposing to build large offshore wind farms in designated zones far from shore in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. They have banned windfarms within 12 nautical miles (23km) of the coast to protect wildlife and scenery.
Environment Minister John Gormley is to be praised for his commitment to reform the outdated and undemocratic Foreshore Act 1933 which allows the Minister for the Marine to award foreshore leases for construction of massive developments on our sea bed with no statutory involvement of local authorities and no public right of appeal.
His officials are currently reviewing best practice in other EU countries to help ensure that Ireland can benefit from renewable marine energy without damaging the environment.
May we hope that the Minister will send his officials on a fact-finding mission to the Netherlands? — Yours, etc,
HELEN GELLETLIE,
VALERIE FREEMAN,
Coastal Concern Alliance,
Sallynoggin,
Co Dublin.
10 October 2008
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