LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME


[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]

Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

Get weekly updates
RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Stripe

Donate via Paypal

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Experts to ban wind farms from West Mayo 

There was a large turnout for last Wednesday night’s public meeting to discuss the Draft Wind Energy Strategy which forms part of the draft Mayo County Development Plan.

The meeting, chaired by Councillor Michelle Mulherin, heard from representatives of the Mayo Wind Energy Agency, Surface Power, Kilalla Community Wind Farm, the Irish Wind Energy Association and Eirgrid who all gave their opinion on the current state of wind energy in Ireland and in Mayo in particular.

However there was no representative from the Dublin-based officials that drafted the current plan. The large audience asked why no one was present to explain their decision to exclude half the county from putting up any new wind farms. Cllr Mulherin and her fellow Cllr Eddie Staunton claimed that the senior planner had agreed to attend the meeting but that he had been blocked from doing so by Mayo County Council.

The meeting was a chance for the public to hear from experts in the field of wind energy and to give their opinion on the current proposed plan for Mayo. On the way into the meeting a copy of the plan was available for viewing but from the outset there were some concerned voices. With regard to planning permission for wind farms, or even single wind turbines, the county is to be split down the middle.

A line running North- South down the centre of the county shows that no permission will be given for wind farms in the West of the county even though this is where the highest winds speeds are found and where it would be most economically viable to set up a wind turbine. This draft plan had been prepared by experts in Dublin who were attempting to preserve the scenic beauty of the West of the county and to protect the peat lands in the area.

There was serious issues raised by people at the meeting last night regarding this blanket ban on the western half of the county. Pat Brett from IWEA maintained that it was possible to retain the beauty of the West and that there were also best practice guidelines with regard erecting wind turbines in peat lands.

One dissenting voice in the audience didn’t have much regard for the experts who drew up these plans. “I think that it must have been Swampy the eco-warrior that drew up these plans while he was protesting underground at the Newgrange bypass and has never even seen the West of Ireland,” the audience member said.

County Council members have until next Friday (November 23) to make final changes to the Draft County Development Plan.

By David Gilbert

Western People

21 November 2007

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Contributions
   Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)
Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI M TG TS G Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook Wind Watch on Linked In

Wind Watch on Mastodon Wind Watch on Truth Social

Wind Watch on Gab Wind Watch on Bluesky