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Rivals clash over wind farm plans
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Rival camps have clashed over controversial plans to build more than 200 Blackpool Tower-sized wind farms off the Wirral coastline.
Benefits of the giant turbines were blown into question by a damning report, whipping up Wirral and North Wales protestors into a whirlwind of opposition.
The allies fear that Wirral has been seriously misled by understated images of the impact from the borough,’ and pledge to lobby NPower’s Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm project, set to be located in the Irish Sea.
In light of recent evidence which found that wind farms fail to produce as much energy as the government had anticipated, watchdog group The Wirral Society is hoping to win the support of local MP’s and preserve the area’s maritime views.
Society chairman Rod Tann told the Globe how the group originally surrendered their fight against the plans under the impression that the turbines were a lot more cost effective and efficient.
They were even willing to admit defeat and sacrifice their seascape as a price to be paid to harness such energy.
Now back on fighting form, Mr Tann said: “We are concerned by the findings published in the report by the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) and will ask local MP’s to present our worries to the Department of Energy.
“We will also ask that they press the government to divert the massive subsidies, currently being channelled into inefficient wind farms, towards developing alternative technologies that might offer a more cost effective and visually acceptable solution to our problems.” REF’s studies show that both England and Wales are not windy enough to let large wind farms work at the rates claimed for them, but NPower claims that there is no need to cast doubt on a technology that is delivering significant quantities of clean, renewable energy.’ A spokesmam said: “It is predicted that NPower Renewable’s proposed Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm would generate with an installed capacity of 750mw and would generate enough energy to supply the needs of some 40 percent of homes every year; hardly a minimum contribution to this country’s energy needs.”
But last February, Conservative Cllr Jeff Green warned that a storm was brewing and expressed his objection to the project by saying: “The people of Wirral and North Wales are being bounced into this and it is clear that the artists impression supplied by NPower does not reflect what people will actually see.” His views are supported by John Lawson-Reay, chairman of Llandudno-based protest group Save Our Scenery (SOS) who branded the development an un-productive joke.’ West Kirby and Thurstaston councillor David Elderton launched a scathing attack against what he believes could be the “most serious crisis facing this country. Few people realise just how precarious the supply of power upon which our society depends will become. Evenm before 2014 we will have closed down the nuclear and coal-fired power stations that at the moment, generate 47% of our electricity.”
By Kelly Barker
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