April 12, 2007
Letters, U.K.

Come on everybody, don't just moan

I read the recent letter (Observer, March 22) by the Wales Officer of The British Wind Energy Association.

This is the trade body which is pushing on behalf of its members for more wind farms, which will bring wind farm developers enormous profits but for the vast majority of local people there will be little gain.

Wind farms are unpopular and becoming more unpopular. In a recent ITV Wales This Week poll on wind farms 72 per cent were opposed and 28 per cent were in favour.

In Glyncorrwg, where I live, our own polling shows similar figures on those for and against wind farms. We are faced with a proposal by Spanish-owned Gamesa for four 603-feet turbines near to people’s houses and a Primary School.

These will tower around 1,000 feet above the village and many are concerned about the threat of landslides and what would happen if a blade broke and came crashing down to the houses and the school below.

Another wind farm by Cardiff-based Eco2 is also planned near to the village, this one of six 410ft turbines. We already have a wind farm in our backyard at Ffynnon Oer.

Kim Howells, Janice Gregory and Huw Irranca Davies are to be commended in opposing plans for further wind farms which are ugly, inefficient, expensive and unreliable.The wind farm at Gilfach Goch, according to Government figures in 2005 only operates at 23.52 per cent average capacity factor.

There is vast public subsidy for wind farms which has little effect on climate change.

A quicker and more cost-effective way of helping the planet is to invest in home insulation, low-energy light bulbs and ensuring that electrical appliances are not kept on standby.

The South Wales Valleys have suffered due to coal mining. Just as the scars are healing here come wind farm developers in a ‘feeding frenzy’ desperate to obtain Government subsidies before the plug is pulled.

The Welsh Assembly should be protecting us not encouraging wind farm developers to spoil our beautiful landscape. Come on everybody, don’t just moan – fight as you have had to fight in the past to save your communities from these ugly developments.

Bob Slater

Glyncorrwg Action Group

Port Talbot

pontypriddobserver

12 April 2007


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/04/12/come-on-everybody-dont-just-moan/