Wind farm "˜would ruin lake beauty' 

Campaigners last night claimed that a new wind farm with 330-foot high (100m) turbines would ruin the peace and quiet enjoyment of a North Wales beauty spot.

Action groups are lining up to fight the Llyn Brenig scheme which will be explained at three public exhibitions next week.

The massive 16 turbines would be built east of Llyn Brenig and adjacent to the existing £15m site of 25 turbines at Tir Mostyn and Foel Goch, Nantglyn.

Mike Skuse of Denbighshire Against Rural Turbines (DART) says they have linked up with two other pressure groups and the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural Wales (CPRW) to form Hiraethog Alliance and they will oppose the scheme if it eventually goes before Denbighshire in a planning application.

“We will come forward with good cogent reasons to oppose it. Certainly, it will interfere with the quiet enjoyment of an area promoted for recreational use, fishing and sailing on Llyn Brenig will be that much less attractive,” said Mr Skuse.

The anti-wind farm campaigners say the huge turbines would be a blot on the landscape and would be inefficient.

“In January, we had gales and high pressure, cloudless days. During these extremes in our climate, the wind turbines at Tir Mostyn and Foel Goch failed to produce any electricity, because there was too much wind for the safety of the blades or not enough to turn them,” he said.

“It has been a graphic illustration of the unreliability of wind power to provide electricity.”

The Welsh Assembly Government has declared eight zones in Wales where there is likely to be a presumption in favour of wind farms and asked local authorities to “fine-tune” these using their knowledge.

Denbighshire planners are looking at how they can accommodate 140 megawatts of turbine power in the Clocaenog area, including the current proposal.

They are formulating guidance on how to handle such applications due to go before the full council on February 27.

Windpower Wales Limited, based at Llanfairtalhaiarn and a private landowner, is proposing the £40m wind farm, with a generating capacity of up to 40MW. It will explain ideas at exhibitions in Cerrigydrudion on Monday, Nantglyn on Tuesday and Llansannan on Wednesday.

Managing director Eryl Vaughan said: “We believe this project can play its part in helping Wales deliver its National and International obligations on Climate Change. We are keen to engage with local communities and for them to directly benefit from the proposal”

Alistair Hinton, project manager for Natural Power Consultants Ltd, said: “We believe this is an excellent site for a wind farm and we are keen to show the results and conclusions so far.”

Existing and approved wind farms in North Wales include:

Braich Ddu Farm, Glanrafon, Bala, three turbines; Haffoty Ucha 1, Bala, one turbine; Haffoty Ucha 3 extension, Bala, two turbines; Llyn Alaw, Llanbabo, Anglesey, 34 turbines; Moel Maelogen “˜Cwmni Gwynt Teg’, near Llanrwst, three turbines.

Moel Maelogen Extension ““ approved, nine turbines, North Hoyle, 4.5 miles off Prestatyn and Rhyl, 30 turbines; Rhyd-y-Groes, Anglesey, 24 turbines; Rhyl Flats, five miles from Abergele, 30 turbines; Tir Mostyn and Foel Goch, Nantglyn, 25 turbines; Trysglwyn, Amlwch, Anglesey, 14 turbines.

There are plans in the pipeline for 229 more wind turbines in North Wales, 200 of them offshore.

By Carl Butler
Daily Post

icnorthwales

16 February 2007